


Holding Out for A Hero

by UnHolyMuffin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Colorful Language, Cursing/Swearing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Getting to Know Each Other, Imperial Inquisitor, Jedi, Jedi Knights (Star Wars), Lightsaber Battles, Lightsabers, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Past Torture, Past Violence, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Spoilers, dark vs light, some torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 38,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22190866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnHolyMuffin/pseuds/UnHolyMuffin
Summary: New Imperial Inquisitor, Amira Moross, meets the famous Jedi, Cal Kestis about five years after he narrowly escaped her master, Darth Vader. She can't quite figure out why she keeps running into him, or why he's so determined to save her. Though she fights against it, she may not be strong enough to resist the Light, or her growing feelings for the Jedi.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 121





	1. Amira

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is still a work in progress, but I hope you like it! Comments welcomed! You can find me over on tumblr @sadjediamira.

Amira held three long strands of hair in her hands, crossing one over the other, again and again. She ties the braid reaching her hip, the black band contrasting against her bright ginger hair. She looked in the mirror, noticing the darker circles around her heterochromic eyes, one green and one blue. Her cheeks were covered in freckles, reaching up to her forehead. 

She remembers a different time when she was proud of her appearance, but now she hid half of her face behind a mask whenever she left her private quarters, leaving only her eyes to be seen.

Her comm link suddenly comes to life, “Amira, we’re moving out.” A storm trooper informs.

“Right behind you.” She responds quietly, not paying much attention as she lifted her hood and hooked her saber to her belt. 

She had been told earlier that day that her Inquisitor training was complete. After working for six years, her Master was finally happy with her skill set. 

But she wasn’t. Wasn’t happy with her skill or happy with her life in general.

Everyday was a struggle. The bruises from training had only just started to yellow with new one being made almost every day.

Every night she cried herself to sleep. Her past and daily trauma came bubbling to the surface, fear then trapped her in nightmares, allowing little rest. It was almost too much...

But the darkness numbed it, provided her power, and the power made her forget. No pain meant she could fight freely, it made her lethal. 

Amira rarely lost a battle.

Which is probably why the empire was set on her receiving an Inquisitor title. 

“We’ve found one, Inquisitor.” A purge trooper commander approached her as she walked towards the hangar. He was excited about something. 

She was thrown off by the new title, but she straightened proudly. 

“Found what?” 

“A Jedi.” The trooper rubbed his hands together. 

Amira’s eyebrows raised. She’d only ever seen a Jedi, never fought against one. Though its what she’d been training for for years. 

There was a sudden pain from her temple, she flinched, trying to push down the old memory that appeared. 

“Is this the first time we’ve encountered this Jedi?” Amira asked cooly, an odd feeling settling in her stomach. 

“No. What I’m hearing is that he is the one who escaped Lord Vader almost 5 years ago.” 

She knew it, she remembers hearing about this, remembers _being_ there. 

A tall, lanky young man with fiery red hair ran past her cell that day shortly after she had arrived at the base, taking down ranks of troopers on his path. 

Her training became unbearable after that. The shock therapy...the pain…

The trooper before her flinched away from the changed look on her face. Surprise turned to hatred and a red tinge clouded her vision. 

“Take me to him,” Amira ordered.

“Well. We’ve...we’ve actually lost him, I-Inquisitor.” The trooper hesitated in fear, “He’s wiped out three of our four companies. We have an alleged location but-,”

“Take me there! Now.” Amira demanded. The floor and walls near her vibrated as the force emanating from her is amplified by her rage. 

“Yes, Inquisitor.” The trooper turns a heel and nearly sprints back to the ship, Amira following.

She meditated while traveling, it helped her balance herself. Aided in turning her anger into power. Power that fueled her.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open as her ship came to a sudden halt, she took one last deep breath before securing her face mask and heading outside.

“Shall we accompany you on your search?” Her stormtrooper commander meekly asked as she descended the ramp onto the grassy field. 

“No. Stay near the ship in case he decides to pay a visit.” Amira says curtly before making her way to the tree line.

After walking for some time she begins to sense an extra sensation in the force, an extra weight that only occured when other force users were near. She takes her lightsaber from her belt and carries it at the ready. 

The path he took is visible in the thick greenery, broken branches and flattened grass aids her search. 

She can feel his pull on the force, it’s both light and strong simultaneously, you didn’t need to see him fight to know he was skilled. It’s something she’s never experienced before, it lured her in. 

The pull was suddenly growing stronger, he was getting closer. She turns to retreat up into a nearby tree but finds herself...stuck?

“And here I thought I was getting out of here without any complications. Should’ve known...” He let out a small chuckle behind her before letting his footsteps finally be heard. 

Amira couldn’t move, frozen in time, vulnerable to any attack. Though his lightsaber was not on, she didn’t like her odds. 

He cautiously approached on her left, he had on simple armor, his weapon hung on his belt and small droid on his back beeped cautiously, he chuckled, “It’s okay, BD.”

He had bright ginger hair like her own, freckles spotted across his cheeks above, what seemed like, a few day old beard. His gray-green eyes met hers before he spoke.

“What’s your name?” He asked, interested.

Amira thought for a brief moment before deciding that she would humor him, she wanted to find out what he was here for.

“Amira.” She attempted to gently break free of her frozen state, but met a strong counter-push from the Jedi. He knew she would try to break free, and he wasn’t letting her. “Yours?” She continued. 

“Cal Kestis.” The Jedi responds easily, pausing before continuing. “Tell me Amira, why is the Empire _just now_ sending Inquisitors after me. I’ve been expecting them to be around every corner since that fated day many moons ago, but here we are, just now meeting.” He leans up against a nearby tree, a smirk settling on his lips.

“You think I’m just going to tell you what the Empire’s been doing? Very funny, Cal.” Amira smiled under her mask.

“You must’ve just completed your training then. Congrats.” Cal nods approvingly, throwing the Inquisitor off for a moment. Why was he acting so casually?

Two could play the casual game, Amira decides, “You got me. Though I appreciate it, I don’t need your praise.”

Cal’s hands go up in defense, “Hey. I’m just trying to be nice. I’m sure after years of the continued physical, mental and psychological torture that the Empire calls ‘training’, forcing you to turn to the dark side just to survive, you could probably use a bit of a break.” He let loose a dazzling smile. 

He knew about the training, he knew about her endless suffering, her pain in trade for power…she suddenly felt ashamed…

“You are going to let me go, Now.” Amira demands, ignoring him, trying out her mind manipulation. 

“Oh, no no no.” Cal chides quickly at her attempt, “You still need some practice there. You tried, but it was hardly a poke.” He tapped his finger to his temple, smirking. 

“Tell me, Amira,” genuine curiosity in his tone, “How is training under Darth Vader? I’ve only met him once but, whew, I would definitely pass on a dinner invite. He is terrifying…”

“What do you want, Jedi?!” Amira snaps, avoiding his questions. Her anger was growing, she did not feel like re-living the worst moments of her life right now.

“I want to help you.” He says quietly, approaching her. He meant it, she could read it in his eyes. Cal moved to place a hand on her shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut briefly at the contact. 

The Inquisitor was stunned, “I don’t need your help.” Amira spits, venom in her voice. She finally manages to switch on her lightsaber but is still unable to move. 

A look of surprise crosses his face at her action and he backs up slowly, “You are strong. I’ve seen your pain, I know your fears. I can feel what you’ve been through...” 

Amira had had enough, this was getting ridiculous, “Let go of me!” She managed a strong push against the force keeping her frozen, falling forward some.

Disappointment fell on his face, sarcasm in his voice, “Well, since you asked so nicely…

In a split second Amira was free and Cal had activated his own lightsaber. Their weapons met once, sparks flying, before they’re both knocked back from the force of the attack. They quickly readied again, standing across from each other, waiting for the next strike. 

“What are you doing here, Cal? What’s here for you?” Amira asked.

“I’d tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me.” The blue light of his saber illuminating his face, he was serious. 

“Oh?” The Inquisitor laughed quietly, “Try me.”

He lowered his saber and Amira took her chance, closing the distance in an instant, but he stunned her yet again. 

He turned off his saber as soon as her own stopped just inches from his throat. 

Their eyes met and neither one of them moved, “What’re you-,” Amira began, confused. 

“I came here to find _you_. I’m here to save you.”


	2. Amira's Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's see how Amira is doing after meeting Cal and finding out about his true intentions.

**“What is this feeling I sense inside you, Apprentice?”** Her master’s mechanical voice and breath was loud next to her.

“Nothing. My Lord,” the Inquisitor didn’t look at him, “Ever since I encountered the Jedi, I realize I’m not as prepared as I would liked to be. I’m...frustrated. I feel as if I’m not strong enough to defeat him.”

 **“You will train more then, and I expect you’ll be more ready than you were last time.”** His words were cold and unfeeling, **“You will not fail me again.”**

“I will not, My Lord.” Amira’s chest felt heavy as she turned to Lord Vader and kneeled before him as he left the elevator. 

As the door shut behind him she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, trying to keep the panic from taking over. 

Death. That’s what awaits her if she failed. 

Just like it was for Trilla. 

There was no hope for her. She could only train and pray her body would not fail her. 

She wasn’t as worried about her physical strength as much as she was her mental. 

Ever since Cal had offered her his hand to help free her, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She wasn’t sure if it was his subtle handsomeness or the fact that he attempted to turn her to the light side on their _first_ meeting.

It was...offensive. But the fact that he wanted to save her _that badly_ gave her a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

The feeling that she was _worth something._

As much as it flattered her and gave her hope, it also angered her. 

She wasn’t weak.

Amira had been fighting to stay alive for nine years now. After the purge she had done nothing but fight for her survival.

She would be damned if she just threw away everything she’d learned. These skills had kept her alive. 

“I’m not weak…” She grunted to herself as she stood, steadying herself on the wall. 

She would go back and train more...and the next time she saw Cal...she would show him how strong she really was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be changed some later, it may not. We'll see how i feel after putting the next chapter together. :)


	3. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal seems to be very good at popping up out of nowhere and totally throwing Amira off her groove. ;)

The civilian garb fit Amira well, it wasn't uncomfortable like her armored Inquisitor uniform. Her ginger hair hung loose except for a few strands tied up in a messy bun.

Her tattoos peeked from underneath her half sleeves, and for once the bags under her eyes weren’t as dark. 

She was undercover, spying on the growing resistance to figure out their next moves. They were predictable, and leaking false plans of the Empire always helped her keep their numbers low.

The Inquisitor was strolling through a small market on some desert planet. All sorts of creatures roamed the streets, talking and shopping. The bustle of everything around her pulled her away from the stress and chaos of her normal life and provided a much needed distraction. 

She was almost humming to herself when she noticed a...feeling. A familiar pull in the force.

It had been a few weeks, but she had not forgotten who it belonged to--

“I almost didn’t recognize you.” Cal said.

Amira turned quickly, reaching for her saber hidden in her jacket, but stopped as she met his eyes.

The Jedi was smiling. “You wouldn’t pull a weapon on a simple man just trying to shop, would you?” He took a loud sip of a drink he was holding in his hand. 

He was right, she can’t blow her cover, not in this crowded space. After readjusting her jacket so as not to look suspicious, she narrowed her eyes at him, “Damn. You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

Cal grinned and shrugged as they began walking together, “Cere says it’s recklessness. I just think it’s fun.”

She suppressed a smile as he took another loud slurp of his drink. 

“By the way…” He scratched his neck as he looked at his feet, “You look nice.”

Amira’s eyebrows were raised as she looked at him, unable to hide a small smile.

“I-I don’t mean it in a weird way! It’s just...you look...normal, relaxed.”

Cal’s ears were as red as Amira’s cheeks.

She hadn’t received a compliment...well...ever. The fact that it was from her sworn enemy made it even more difficult to process.

“Thank you.” She mumbled, nodding once, hearing something like a muffled ‘yeah’ before they continued walking.

“I’ve wondered...” Amira began.

“Hm?”

“Why are you being so nice to me? I tried to kill you.”

“Everyone is going through something. I understand you have a job to do and I won’t hold the viciousness of your Master against you.” 

Amira suddenly feels ashamed for trying to harm him, especially after what he just said. 

He shrugs, continuing, “But I'm also very confident in my ability to stay alive. Trust me, I’m a lot harder to kill than you think.”

She nodded slowly, noting that confidence. For just a moment she envied him, wishing she could be that sure. Yet, something different is nagging her, and it’s frustrating…

“Cal...I can’t be your friend. We are enemies.” Her voice was somber but she wasn't having any objection.

The Jedi was quiet for a moment, “I know.” He stopped walking, “But. It still doesn’t bother me to show you some kindness. Even you deserve peace.” 

He paused, “I really enjoy talking with you, but I think we should probably continue on with our day and pretend like this little chat never happened?” Cal gave her a smile, but he seemed sad.

“Yeah. That sounds good.” Amira nodded, praying their casual time together wouldn’t linger with her.

“Cool. I’ll see ya ‘round ‘Mira.”

Cal quickly sidestepped into the crowd and vanished. 

Amira was shaking as she stepped into an alleyway nearby. Not only did she let him go but, being friendly with Cal went against _all_ of the things she had ever been taught.

Yet, somehow, he tempted her. He allowed her to relax and let her guard down, two very deadly things.

And what if Lord Vader found out…?

She _can’t_ keep giving in to him...still, every time they meet she does just that. 

Amira sighed, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes, “Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate you!! I've got a writing bug and am excited for all the plans i have for this story :D!  
> Also, Thank you SO MUCH for all the love for this so far :'). 
> 
> Again, don't be afraid to leave comments <3


	4. A Dream of Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream...or an ongoing nightmare?

The sun was so warm on her skin as it poured through the tree canopies above. 

Her ginger hair hung loose, almost reaching her waist, as she walked. 

No worries, nothing weighing her down. 

Her black robes and armor had turned to soft grays and blues, and her black saber had been replaced by a rose gold one. 

“Hey ‘Mira!” Cal called out to her. 

She turned, meeting his eyes as he trotted up to her. 

Amira smiled, she couldn’t help it. 

She sighed with relief as he returned his own grin. 

Cal reached out for her and she took his hand without hesitation. 

He pulled her hand in his and placed it on his chest, she could feel his heartbeat and life force. 

Amira closed her eyes briefly, focusing on the light and warmth the Jedi radiated. 

For a moment they were in harmony with one another, she could feel his thoughts and know his worries. It was a connection she’d never experienced, their individual power increased each other’s strengths.

“Come find me.” Cal whispered as he gently placed his palm on her cheek, his eyes full of...longing?

Amira woke with a start, struggling to remember where she was in the dark. 

The motion sensors suddenly illuminated the dull gray room. She was aboard her ship, her black saber rested on the nightstand and her black cloak hung from the adjacent wall. 

“It was a dream…” the Inquisitor breathed to herself, looking down at her hands. 

Amira hadn’t experienced something so warm and calming in such a long time. 

She knew better, knew the truth. So she quickly pushed away the fleeting thought that wished it wasn’t just a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!<3 I appreciate you! Can also catch me over at https://sadjediamira.tumblr.com.
> 
> Some more good shit coming sooooon :D


	5. A Battle of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and Cal battle each other, while Amira faces the truth of the meanings behind her dreams.

“An abandoned Republic base...really Cal…?” Amira calls out, her voice echoing back in the massive space. 

Dusty crates littered the floor, and the ceiling beams hid in the dark rocks above her. She slowly stalked toward the massive blast doors, waiting. 

The Inquisitor removes her face mask, tossing it to the ground next to her. Her braid falls out of her hood as she lowers it. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Amira taunts, a grin pulling at her painted lips. 

At a faint noise above, she spins on her heel, pulling her saber from her belt. 

“Aw. Come on, Cal. I didn’t fly all the way here for you to tease me! I know you're here.” She could feel his presence, as if it was surrounding her. 

All the lights suddenly go out, leaving her in pitch blackness. The area around her is bathed in red when she turns on her lightsaber. 

“I would have words with you, Jedi.” The Inquisitor begins quietly, knowing her voice would carry. “Do you practice mind manipulation, Cal? Can you affect the dreams of others?” 

A pair of boots land on the ground behind her, she turns slowly. 

“And what makes you think I can do that, Amira?” Cal asks curiously, his saber bathing him in blue when he activates it. 

It felt strange, battling him again, ever since they’re last meeting. They were normal people then, many weeks ago back in the market. Now they were enemies. 

“I’ve had strange dreams.” She began as the two of them began moving in a sort of circle, waiting for the other to strike. 

Cal chuckles, “Have you been dreaming about me, Inquisitor?”

“Don’t patronize me!” Amira threatens, raising her saber to eye level. “I just want you out of my head.” She mutters. 

“Well I have some bad news for you…” Cal performs a flourish with his saber, smile still very evident on his face, “I cannot manipulate the mind or dreams. Though I’ve always excelled with the force, I’ve never been _that_ good.” 

Did he just wink?

“I guess I’ll just have to get rid of you right here, then.” Amira shrugs. 

He grinned, “Let’s get to it.” 

Amira closes her eyes briefly, gathering the force. She raises her arm and slams it towards the ground, violently pushing crates and debris away from her in all directions. The floor surrounding her was destroyed, but Cal dodged easily. 

She charges, he blocks a few hits before delivering his own. He was powerful, but the Inquisitor had improved since they last fought.

He attempts to freeze her but she blocks with a powerful push just in time, sending the Jedi flying. 

She dashed forward but he blocks just as he flips up onto his feet. 

Plasma and sparks fly as their weapons meet, “What did you need in this old base, Cal?” Amira asks, breath heavy. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He retorts before shoving her back and quickly evading her. 

Amira turns on her heel, “What are the rebels after, Cal? I know you’ve been assisting them…” the two begin circling each other again, “They won’t win, you know. You can’t destroy the Empire!”

“Oh, I know I can’t. But I don’t need to destroy the Empire.” Cal says easily, jerking his saber once as he activates his dual blade. “I just need to cause a bit of chaos...a little...confusion.” His smirk was directed at her.

Amira pulls her saber in front of her, activating her own dual blade with a spin. 

They lunge simultaneously. Hit, hit, hit, block, hit. Amira enjoyed this challenge. She could let go, lose control a little. 

Apparently so could Cal. They both became lost in the fight, becoming almost hypnotized by the flashing of blue and red, the push and pull of the force all around them. 

They danced across the warehouse, trying to distract each other with nearby boxes and chairs. Each object being obliterated with the force. 

Amira notices Cal’s fighting shift, he was losing speed and resorting to powerful hits. Amira never faltered, using her smaller stature against him, ducking and jumping, draining his energy. 

“You’re getting sloppy, Cal.” She notes loudly between swings. “You can’t do anything if your dead.”

Amira smirks as she jumps, using his back as an anchor to flip over him. The Inquisitor’s saber was inches from the back of his neck within seconds. 

Cal stiffened, his shoulders moving with each heavy breath. “I have already finished what I set out to do, Inquisitor.”

In an instant Amira was frozen, Cal had escaped her reach and turned to face her. She broke free, but just in time to quickly duck out of the way as he split his saber into two, forcing her to land on the ground with a loud huff. 

The Inquisitor was stunned at his skill, she’d never heard of a dual wielding Jedi.

“Why do you think you’re dreaming of me, Amira?” Cal breathed, sabers ready for any resistance. 

The ground around them vibrated with her anger, “Get out of my head!”

“I didn’t put myself in your head!” Cal began, his voice raised. “The reason you can’t get me out of your head is because you don’t _want_ me out of your head!” 

Amira growls and lunges, force pushing the Jedi backwards as she easily finds her footing. 

Her saber would’ve pierced his chest had it not been for the lights coming back on and the rumble of a ship quickly approaching above the massive rock ceiling. 

Cal’s small droid comes speeding across the floor from a vent in the wall, beeping loudly. The droid placed himself on his master's shoulder as the Jedi slowly stood. His sabers still ready for an attack. 

Amira glared at him, still turning over his words in her head. 

Their eyes met, “You deserve so much more, Amira.” Cal says slowly, making sure he had her attention. “You’ve been through awful, terrible things. I want to help you heal.” His voice was nothing but sincere. 

After a moment he slowly reattached his sabers and held out a hand to her. 

“Don’t…” she whispered. 

“I won’t hurt you. I promise.” He switched off his lightsaber. 

Amira felt a familiar sting in her eyes. 

_So much for showing him my strength_ , she thought sarcastically to herself.

“You don’t know my past...” The Inquisitor spoke but her voice broke. “And If I...if I f-fail again…”

Her fate would be the same as Trilla’s. 

She lowered her lightsaber some, briefly giving in to the peace that was enveloping her, no doubt Cal’s aura. 

The Jedi stepped closer to her, hand still outstretched. Amira looked at his hand but stepped back, leaving the cloud of comfort surrounding them. 

Though she craved peace, she was much too terrified of the consequences. 

“No.” She warned, meeting his eyes. “I can not fail. Not this time. I will _not_ be another failed Inquisitor!”

Cal’s face fell, but he understood. “We will meet once more, ‘Mira. That-” he paused, voice heavy, “That will be your last chance.”

The Inquisitor’s brow furrowed, but before she could protest the large rocks above began cracking loudly. The pair looked up simultaneously, but suddenly she was flying backwards, she hit the wall behind her hard enough to cause black spots in her vision. 

_Did he just push me out of the way?_

The last thing she heard was the sound of hundreds of tons of rocks falling around her, no doubt the rest of the ceiling caving in. 

She was unsure of whether it was Cal’s doing or the Empire’s, but she let the pounding in her head and sudden fatigue take her into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 I'm working on the next big conflict and it's almost longer than this entire work :'D
> 
> I'm excited to have the end come into sight though! I'll see you in the next one!


	6. A Dream of Coming Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira dreams again, but wakes up even more confused than before.

Calm. 

Absolute...content. 

A gentle breeze stirred the grass around her. 

Amira could feel the coolness of the ground on her arms. 

Her eyes traced the early morning star outlines as deep purples and pinks bathed the wispy clouds. 

Boots approached, stopping close to her. 

Cal lays down next to her but she doesn’t move.

He takes her hand, and she lets him. 

He was so warm. 

“I know you’re afraid.” He begins, almost like he was talking to himself. “But the coming obstacle is one you won’t face alone. So. Just keep fighting, ‘Mira.” 

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. 

Amira didn’t wake with a start like before, but naturally and easily. 

She was in the hospital ward on her Master’s star destroyer. 

She could feel the bandages on her head, torso and left leg. 

“What the hell?” She croaked, voice weak, she tried to sit up. 

“Lay back down.” The nurse ordered, approaching swiftly. 

“What happened? Tell me.” Amira persisted. 

“You got caught in a cave-in.” She pursed her lips for a moment, “It was very odd. For some reason…”

The nurse hesitated, confused. 

“For some reason, the heaviest rocks landed in a perfect circle around you.” The caretaker sighed and turned away, checking Amira’s vitals as the Inquisitor tried to make sense of what she was told. 

“Another nap should do you well. Relax. Rest. I will check you out later tonight. Understand?” Her nurse wasn’t having any argument so Amira gave a quiet grunt and laid back down. 

She tried to make sense of her survival, but before long her brain forced her to sleep once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, but thank you for reading and commenting! :')  
> More Amira and Cal coming soon! <3


	7. Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira has almost given in to the conflict within her. But instead of finding relief, she finds the brink of death.

Amira’s desperate screams echoed off the massive ceiling above.

How long had she been in this god forsaken chair? She had only been out of the infirmary for a few hours before she was forced in here. Her body ached, her throat was raw, and she could hardly keep her eyes open. 

The clamps moved again, bringing the electric currents towards her. 

“No. No. Please...I swear-AAGGHH!!” Her breathing was ragged as fresh tears fell over dried ones. 

“ **Why haven’t you made progress? Where is the Jedi?** ” Lord Vader commanded. His presence was suffocating her, even if he wasn’t doing it directly. 

“I don’t know...wh-where he is.” Amira croaked. “He is a difficult target m-my lord…”

Her head was too heavy, so much pain…

“ **Don’t lie to me, apprentice. I can sense your emotions. I know there is conflict within you.** ”

Amira shook her head quickly, but something inside her knew it was over. She had lost and now...she would die. 

The agony intensified, but it wasn’t from the electricity. Something was...invading her mind. 

_No. Fight it. Don’t let him in..._

The Inquisitor tried to focus, pushing back against the assault. 

“ **Don’t try to resist. What are you hiding from me?** ” Vader growled, his hand raised slightly. 

But her Master was too powerful, he found what he was looking for…She screamed again, it was like her head was splitting into two.

“ **YOU...HE’S TURNED YOU.** ”

Amira used a last bit of energy to muster up some sarcasm, though it was hardly louder than a whisper, “Oh? Has he? Damn. I wonder how?”

Suddenly she was flying, the restraints on the chair scraped into her skin before breaking and letting her go, pulling another cry from her lips.

It was quickly cut off by a desperate gasp for breath, Vader had her by the throat four feet in the air. 

“ **After all this time...I thought you would last.** ” Another gasp leaves her as she tries ripping invisible hands off of her, “ **I should have known you would betray me. Betray the Dark Side.** ”

Amira begins to panic, her consciousness was slipping away...

“ **You don't deserve the quick end I gave Trilla, No. You will die slowly.** ” There was a sick amusement in his mechanical voice. 

“F-fuck...y-you…” Amira managed, no longer caring about her fate. 

She hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. 

“ **Lock this traitor in her quarters.** ” Vader spat, looking down on his ‘apprentice’ like she was merely trash on the floor. 

Amira was dragged back to her room by the same troopers that once followed her orders. They threw her on her bed and left, the door locking behind them. 

She was tempted to ask them to just kill her, but she realized that she finally had something she wanted to live for.

A person she wanted to talk to, if just _one_ more time. 

The Inquisitor attempted to move, but her body punished her for it, so she reached out with the force. 

_Cal I..._

Blackness took her before she could finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some BIG, exciting chapters coming soon! :D Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to leave a comment!


	8. Hear Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira realizes the truth. But will she ever be free?

Amira woke to the sound of herself trying to breathe, except it sounded more like she was being strangled. 

She attempted to move, whimpering as tears instantly stung her eyes from the pain.

It took far too long, but she eventually sat up. Nothing had changed inside her room but she felt the presence of two troopers outside her door, like she was in any shape to escape…

She hesitantly raises her hand to feel her neck, wincing at how tender the skin was. 

As she lowered her hand, she saw the damage on her wrists and arms. The restraints left deep scrapes in her skin, pulling blood to the surface. 

Amira gently bends her leg, remembering the repeated electric torture. She didn’t need to see the burns on her thighs to know they were there. 

She took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. She was a sitting duck, completely vulnerable. 

Nothing scared her more. 

The Inquisitor frantically tried to think of any way to quickly recover. If she didn’t get out of here, she was dead. 

For the past few years Amira didn’t care whether she lived or died, but now…

_Damn that Jedi._

She’d been fighting back the tears but now she let them flow freely. She was in massive amounts of pain, unable to move and completely helpless. 

Amira didn’t want this life anymore. She been in almost this same situation more times than she’d like to admit. 

Tortured into submission, into giving in to the darkness. 

Survival was only possible through the dark side. That message had been pounded into their brain for over five years now. 

Yet, she had seen, and felt, so much evidence lately that disproved that.

She was...lost. 

Her brain was now more muddled than it had been in years. Everything that the Jedi had tried to help her see before came rushing to the surface. 

She didn’t want to live like this anymore, and she finally realized she didn’t have too. 

Darkness was freedom, that’s what she’d been taught, but it wasn’t. It was a prison of loneliness and uncontrolled chaos. 

Amira summoned the dreams she’d had to the forefront of her mind, they were overflowing with peace and calm. 

And...Cal. 

She still wasn’t sure if she was just attracted to him, though he was handsome, or if it was simply that she needed a friend, someone to help guide her out of the dark. 

_That’s what he’s been trying to do the whole time._

She felt scared, alone and...ashamed, even with the light slowly coming back to her. 

The Jedi had guided her back to the light, but she needed him again to help her work towards a healthy mental state, to help her heal her connection to the light side of the force. 

Amira cleared her mind, focusing…

_Cal?_

_Hear me, please._

She paused...how do you apologize with the force? How do I make him understand? 

Suddenly, she remembered. On their first meeting Cal confessed that he was there to save her. On their last meeting he said he had finished what he set out to do. 

He knew. Cal knew she had turned to the light before she did herself. 

Amira knew what she had to say. 

_Thank you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c
> 
> More soon :D
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Rescue Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira will talk to Cal later about how reckless and stupid he is. But for now they need to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this one up cause it was *13 pages long*! Though I'm posting both parts at the same time. 
> 
> This was a fun one! Enjoy! <3

The muffled sound of a lightsaber activating rouses her, but she wasn't sure where it came from, or if she was still half asleep and dreaming. 

Amira was extremely groggy, she must have passed out again after using so much energy to reach out to Cal. She tried moving again, finding just as much pain as before. 

There were more sounds of fighting, this time they were...outside her door?

She was suddenly wide awake.

_What’s going on...is it Vader?_

Her stomach dropped, looking right she saw her saber on her nightstand. She summoned as much strength as she could, quickly pulling her weapon to her hand.

The adrenaline made her mind clear now, someone was tinkering with the lock on her door...but, Vader wouldn’t need to do that…

Her saber was ready, eyes wide as she stared at her door.

As it slides open the weapon falls out of her hand and Amira just about burst into tears.

Cal’s eyes scan the darkened room, landing on her vulnerable form in seconds. 

“Oh my god, ‘Mira!” the Jedi exclaims, quickly closing the gap between them and sitting on the edge of her bed, the motion sensing lights coming on to illuminate them both.

It takes a moment before he actually _sees_ her. Her neck covered with bruises, red gashes down her tattooed arms and dark, sunken eyes. 

Amira watches his heart break then watches anger flicker briefly in his eyes

“‘Mira...what did he do to you?”

That didn't matter right now...nothing else mattered right now.

Cal was on the ship, he had come to save her...that’s not exactly why she called out to him, but...here he was. 

Amira grinned, lifting her hand to his cheek, “Cal.” She croaked, tears spilling over. 

The Jedi was confused, but smiled anyways. He tapped a finger to his head, “You rang?”

“It worked?” She whispered, honestly surprised at herself. 

“Quite forcefully, might I add.” He chuckled.

“I’m...I’m so s-sorry, Cal.” Her eyes fell from his, tears falling faster, all the emotions had immediately come bubbling to the surface. “I’m scared. I need your help. I don’t...I don’t want to die.”

“Hey hey hey.” he lifted her chin back up with his fingers to see her eyes, “You don’t have to apologize. Alright? And I’m not going to let you die, we’re going to get out of here.” He gave a firm nod. 

“Yes please.”

He rose to help Amira sit up but after a brief second he stopped, patting the droid that had been sitting silently on his back, “BD-1. Toss me a few stims.” The droid beeped in agreement, Cal caught the little green vials before kneeling in front of her.

“These should heal you enough to run and fight, but you look like you’ve been through hell so...I don't want you to push it, okay?”

“I won’t.”

Amira injected a stim in her neck, leg, and arm. The immediate relief almost brought more tears to her eyes, she could finally move.

“Ahhh...” Her voice had returned! “Damn. Those work well.” Her muscles still ached but she could walk on her own and feel she had enough strength to defend herself, if it came to that.

Cal kept look out at the door while she grabbed a few trinkets to take with her. An old bracelet from her padawan days, spare parts for her saber, and an old blaster, just in case. 

She slung on the small bag and stuffed her black cloak inside of it. She liked it too much to leave it behind. 

“Now, I don't know how long I’ve been passed out, so I don't know if the whole ship knows that I...that I’m no longer an Inquisitor.” She whispered to Cal, peeking in the direction opposite him. 

“I snuck past a group of troopers talking about it, I think you’re to be captured if seen and your…’master’, is to be notified immediately.” His voice was full of sarcasm on the last part. 

“Right.” Amira snorted, though she felt a pang of fear deep in her stomach at the thought. If she was captured, Cal would also be captured, and she would be damned if she had to train him as a new inquisitor. 

Suddenly she realized just how stupid Cal had been to attempt this rescue. How he literally risked death or being turned to the dark side to get her, she decided to ask him about that later.

“Alright Cal, we’re going left out of here, pass four corridors then take a right. Unless you had your own plan to get us out of here, we’re headed for the hangar.”

They begin jogging, Amira holding her blaster at the ready and Cal with his saber, “No. I was sure I could find you and figured you’d know how to get out of here better than I ever could.”

She silently motioned for them to stop, both of them ducking behind a wall as a group of stormtroopers past.

“Wait. Can you still get around the inside of the walls of these things?” Cal whispered, pointing to a nearby vent in the wall above them.

“I think so...I haven’t done it in a while…” She shrugged, “We can try. Do you think BD can lead us out from in there?”

The little droid poked his head up, beeping quietly at the mention of his name.

“We downloaded this ships schematics when I first snuck in, he can get us out.” Cal smiled.

Amira waited until the sound of trooper footsteps faded away before moving, “Okay, let’s do it.” 

Cal used to force to gently pull the vent cover off the wall above them before offering his hands as a spring for her to climb up, he jumped up close behind her. 

Once they were both in the large dimly lit vents, they turned to BD who climbed off of Cal’s shoulder and proudly showed them the holo map. 

“Okay…” Amira whispered, doing her best to memorize it, “Down this bit for a while, sharp left, and then down this slide thing?” She nodded to herself.

“Then it’s not far after that, the real problem is getting through the hangar and onto a ship without being spotted…” Amira was starting to get extremely anxious.

“Greez said the Mantis is too slow to pick us up and get away safely...we have to hijack something to get off of this thing…” They exchanged worried glances as the droid settled onto his back again.

“Hijacking isn’t the problem, you’re damn lucky I can fly a TIE. The problem is doing it completely off the radar...” Amira responded. 

There was no way they were avoiding a fight...

“Wait! You can fly a TIE fighter?!” Cal looked impressed.

Amira laughed before beginning their trek, “Yeah. But I’ll need a gunner, you up for that?”

She looked behind her and the Jedi’s eyes were now bright with intense excitement, it took all her power not to laugh loudly. Even BD-1 was doing a little dance on his shoulder, beeping with his own excitement. 

“Yes!! I can do it!!” Cal was having the same trouble being quiet.

“Good.” She smirked but continued walking. 

They jumped gaps and climbed walls, Amira was sore and out of practice but she persevered. 

The pair silently tiptoed above ranks of troopers and crew members until they reached the slide which took them close to the end of their journey. 

Suddenly Amira remembered what they would have to get past to be free. 

She froze, Cal bumped into her.

“What?” He looked at her, seeing the fear on her face. “‘Mira what’s wrong?”

“We have to find another route…” She whispered.

“Why? We’re almost there.” 

“If we don’t we’re going to have to get past the throne room…”

“Throne room?”

“Vader is in there constantly, and it’s rumored the Emperor is there as well…”

“Emperor?”

“Yes. Palpatine. Darth Sidious, The Sith Lord responsible for destroying the Republic…and the Jedi.”

“Oh.”

Amira wanted to sprint in the other direction, she had never met the Emperor, but he was Lord Vader’s master…

“We can’t get past them without them sensing us. Darth Vader wants to, and will _easily_ kill me for sport...I don’t want to know what _his_ master is capable of...” Amira breathed.

“You survived this long, ‘Mira...and I’m here to help you now...Vader is the last fear you have to face. We can do it together, I know it.” Cal was endlessly optimistic, and Amira believed every word of it. 

Because if she didn’t, both her and Cal would end up dead.

“Okay...new plan.” Amira shook her head, pushing the image of a lifeless Cal out of her mind. “We drop down and stick to the hallways.”

“We’ll be seen, ‘Mira.” he warned.

She thought for a moment, “BD?”

The droid beeped.

“Where’s the nearest supply room?”

The holo map appeared again, the room they needed was highlighted.

“Let’s go.” Cal urged, understanding her plan.


	10. Rescue Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira will push past her limits to make sure Cal and her survive.

The pair dropped down onto the floor of the room that was no bigger than Amira's own quarters, but it was stocked full of uniforms and trooper garb.

They clumsily threw on a crew member’s uniform over their own clothing. Amira tucked her braided hair down into the jacket and tossed her bag across her chest. Cal had BD-1 hide on his lower back, covered by his own jacket. They both put on hats to avoid drawing attention to their bright hair.

“Cal?” Amira started, letting the intrusive thought finally leave her mind.

“Yeah?”

“Look. If anything happens to me-”

“Nope.” Cal interrupted her, “I’m not leaving you behind. Not again.”

“And I won’t be the reason you end up dead!”

He blinked.

“If I’m caught,” Amira shrugged, “Whatever. I will die either way and then it won’t be either of our problems.”

She cut off the Jedi’s coming second interruption with a wait gesture. “If you are caught, you either end up just as dead...or as the new inquisitor that takes my place. I will not allow either to happen.”

“‘Mira…” Cal looked sad, but he understood.

“I finally came to my senses and I just got you, Cal...I’m not losing you again…” Amira looked in his eyes, ignoring the burn of her cheeks. “If anything happens, you run. Left, to the hangar, as fast as you can. And you don’t look back.”

Cal didn’t respond, but he didn’t argue, and they were quiet for a moment. Amira hesitantly raised her hand to Cal’s chest, like she had in her dream, and closed her eyes. 

The force within him was strong. And just like in the dream, she felt both of them grow stronger when they were connected like this.

She felt his gloved hand cover hers, and she looked up to see a small, puzzled smile on his face. 

Amira was suddenly realized what she was doing and quickly pulled her hand back to her side, ears turning red, “Sorry,'' she mumbled.

“It’s alright.” Cal assured her, giving her hand a small squeeze before they moved toward the door. 

Amira left the room first, placing herself at the end of the hallway. Cal exited a few moments later, walking past her and turning left down the final hallway.

She followed his footsteps from a distance, successfully passing a group of troopers and crew members. 

The Jedi stopped a couple doors ahead, suddenly leaning down to mess with his boots as a few nicely dressed generals made their way down the hall. 

_Shit! They’ll recognize me!_

Amira looked down, hiding her face as best she could to avoid being noticed. 

The generals didn’t stop and she took that as a sign to pick up the pace, no doubt they were headed to see Lord Vader.

She was walking quickly when Cal suddenly pulled her into a nearby open door, sliding it shut behind them.

“Wha-” Amira began, but stopped when she felt it. A familiar, suffocating presence in the force. Cal felt it too.

They didn’t know how far away he was, and neither of them dared to move.

Amira began panicking, fear bubbling to the surface, “Cal, If we can sense him...he can sense us.”

“I know...I’m thinking…” She couldn’t see Cal very well in the dark but she could feel his anxiety.

“Hey guys,” He quietly called into his comm link. “We’re gonna need some assistance…”

“Wait...your crew is here? Why didn’t you tell me?” Amira hissed.

“They’re not exactly _here_ , but they're the trick up my sleeve.” He whispered back.

“But...they don’t even know me? Why would they risk their lives for me?” Amira began to sound frantic.

“Because I told them about you. They know how important you are to me, and how dead set I was on saving you. They’re helping because I asked them to, that’s all that matters.” Cal said quickly, making his point clear.

_I’m important to him. So important that his friends would risk themselves too...I can’t fail them._

Lord Vader’s presence in the force was growing so Amira readied her saber, Cal did the same. 

“We’re getting out of here, Cal.” Amira said sternly. “I won’t fail you.”

“I know you won’t.” He responds easily, she couldn’t see it, but she could hear the smile in his voice. 

It wasn’t long until Vader’s presence started to ebb away, it wasn’t by much but the smothering feeling did lessen. 

“Let’s go.” Amira whispered, activating to door. 

They step out, quickly shuffling to the left towards the hangar. After a few steps though, the find themselves frozen. 

“Damn!” Amira curses. She doesn’t need to turn around to know who’s waiting there. 

Their bodies are turned simultaneously to face Lord Vader standing down the hallway. 

“ **Have you not learned your lesson, apprentice?** ” Darth Vader asked, pulling Amira towards him. 

“I am no longer your apprentice.” Amira spat, fighting against the pull on her.

“ **You are mine until I am done with you.** ” He corrected. “ **It would be wise to surrender.** ”

“Yup.” Amira's voice was shaky. “It probably would.”

She gathered the force up around her, more than she had ever channeled before, and sent it out all at once. Creating a powerful shockwave that pushed Vader back enough for him to break his hold on the pair. 

Cal and ‘Mira quickly find their footing, readying themselves. 

They hear loud footsteps approaching behind them, and turned in time to see dozens of storm troopers blocking the path to the hangar. 

Behind them, Vader turns on his saber and begins approaching. 

“I’ll take care of the troopers, can you hold him off for a minute?” Cal asks, turning to stand back to back as he activates his own saber. 

“Yeah, I can. Make it quick though.” Amira nods before activating her lightsaber and approaching her opponent. 

“ **He can not save you.** ” Darth Vader begins, taking her attention as Cal charged the group of stormtroopers.

“I can save myself, ” Amira corrects, taking a swing that gets easily countered, “He’s just here to help me.” 

“ **Then you _are_ weak.**”

Both begin with a strong overhead blow, sparks flying at the contact. 

The strength of Vader’s attack pushes her backwards. 

She readjusts her hands on the hilt of her weapon and strikes him multiple times, forcing him to quickly block.

Amira summons a powerful push, attempting to throw him off balance but it fails, and she has to quickly roll out of the way of a powerful swing. 

Cal suddenly appears at her side, using a powerful upward slice to disrupt Vader as she finds her footing.

The pair start moving backwards towards the hangar door, their enemy follows. They alternate hits, allowing little room for Vader to attack.

“Almost...there!” Cal grunts, dodging an attack with a sidestep.

They cross the threshold of the massive hangar, Vader on their heels. Amira performs a powerful attack as she switches on her second saber blade mid-swing, her weapon making contact with his arm, finally hitting him.

Amira summons power from deep within her core, crushing the air around Darth Vader in an attempt to stop him before he can attack. 

“ **You will not make it off this ship alive.** ” He taunts, though unable to move under her hold. 

“Watch me.” Amira attaches her lightsaber to her belt, focusing. 

She can feel the power flowing through her and begins to let go of control, reveling in the feeling of it. She closes her hands into fists, gritting her teeth as she channels more of the darkness.

“‘Mira…” Cal begins hesitantly next to her, “You have a choice now...you don’t have to resort to that power anymore. It just draws more anger and hatred out of you…”

Amira realizes the truth of Cal’s warning, she used the dark so effortlessly and just let it take over her. She didn’t want to get lost in it anymore. 

Suddenly she feels herself get hit so hard she flew back and landed on a pile of crates behind her. The taste of blood surprised her as she tried to sit up, her back screaming in pain. She hears Cal yell to her and his footsteps approach. 

“ **You’re decision to give up the darkness shall be the final decision you make.** ” Vader says menacingly, stalking towards her. 

Amira fought to stabilize her vision and ignore the stinging in her back, but Cal stepped in front of her, saber ready to stop their enemy.

“Cal...no, move...” She whispered, trying to get air back into her lungs.

The Jedi lunges towards Vader, getting in a few good hits. He attempts a dodge but is instead grabbed and thrown back in the opposite direction, hitting the ground just as hard. 

_Dammit…_

Suddenly Amira is dangling in the air, invisible hands around her throat. She starts to panic, her eyes glued to Cal lying helpless on the ground, praying he would move.

“ **You’re lucky I’m more concerned with you, or else your precious savior would’ve been dead moments ago.** ”

She tries to choke out Cal’s name but fails, only receiving a small amount of air. 

She has to do something...she can’t just die here and have him be the next victim of Lord Vader’s torture.

“ **It’s a shame his death will still be your fault.** ” Lord Vader raised his free hand in Cal’s direction, she wasn’t sure what he was doing but...

_I’ll be damned!_

With the force left within her she finds the crates and boxes behind her, willing them to fly forward towards her assailant in an attempt to stop him. 

Instead her attempt is turned against her as Vader easily sends them flying in Cal’s direction before they can hit him. She sees Cal just starting to move, pulling himself to his knees...

_No no no no...No!!_

What happens next happens quickly, and doesn’t quite make sense to her. 

Amira feels a powerful shockwave leave her body, causing Vader to fly back and hit the wall. All the crates that were flying at Cal instantly drop to the floor, missing him by just a few feet. 

When she's back on the ground, her hands rise to send another powerful push at her previous master. Instead there’s sparks of blue that manifest between her fingers. She decides to go with it, allowing the massive power to flow through her one last time.

She pushes again, this time the sparks become currents of lightning. They make contact with Vader, causing him to convulse on the floor, his suit sparking instantly. 

“‘Mira!” Cal had appeared at her side, he looked worried. “We have to go!” She nods once, pulling the lightning back to her.

As Amira regains full control of the force the sudden sound of approaching footsteps grows louder. “More troopers.” Cal sighs. 

“No time. We’re getting out of here.”

With her left hand, she holds Vader on the ground, his sparking suit also hindering his movement. She looks to her right, using the force to pull the restraints off the closest TIE fighter and yank the ship forward just a bit, allowing them room to climb inside.

“Go!” Amira yells at Cal as the troopers enter the hangar, blasters firing. “I’m right behind you.” She suddenly feels herself get woozy, knowing her energy is basically spent.

The pair run towards their fighter, ducking blaster bolts. Amira’s hand was still outstretched to keep Vader down as long as possible. 

The Jedi jumps up, finding the shooter’s seat. Amira gives her master one last look, swearing to leave all her hatred and anger in this spot. There was nothing left for her here. 

She gives one final force push, willing it to linger even as she breaks her hold on her previous master. 

Cal helps her up into the ship, pulling the hatch shut as she quickly climbs behind him to her seat. 

Amira begins flipping switches and pressing buttons, “Okay Cal. Left stick. Your triggers shoot normal blasters and the bumpers right above them toggle between missiles and canons. You have a limited number of those so use them wisely!”

The ship engines begin, “Got it! Uhhh, how do I aim?” Cal replies, she could hear the subtle excitement in his voice.

“Right stick to aim. The screen in front of you coming on…now....” She pressed a few more buttons, turning on the auxiliary gunning systems, “You put whatever you want to hit in between those two dashes. It’ll glow yellow when centered.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Amira grabbed the handle in front of her, the ship rising as she flipped the last few switches. She turns but something was holding them in place…she looks out her view seeing Vader, both hands outstretched.

“Dammit he’s got us!” She cursed. “Shoot him Cal!”

Multiple blasts deafen her as all chaos breaks loose. But it wasn’t just Cal that had shot, there was another ship.

“It’s the Mantis!! Yes! Ahahah!” Cal laughed loudly. 

The Mantis was hovering half inside the hangar shooting the back wall where Darth Vader stood, crates began exploding and debris rained down, blocking his view.

Amira pushed forward again, the ship finally obeying her, “Hang on!”

Both the TIE fighter and the Mantis left the hangar simultaneously, the Mantis still shooting as it sped away. 

Amira pushed the ship to its maximum speed quickly, the giant star destroyer getting smaller and smaller behind her.

She felt a massive weight being lifted off her chest, she was relieved but...still in shock.

“We did it…” She whispered to herself.

“Cal? Cal, are you there?” A worried female voice spoke. 

“Cere! Cere, I’m here! I got Amira, we’re okay.” Cal responded into his comms device, she could hear the relief in his voice. 

“Excellent! I knew you could do it. I'm not picking up anyone following us yet so quickly head to these coordinates.” Cere sounded just as relieved as Cal. She read off the coordinates, Amira punching them in. “We’ll see you there. Over.”

There was a moment of silence as Amira prepared the jump to light speed, “Hey ‘Mira?” Cal began.

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you.”

His words were so simple yet, she could _feel_ the massive meaning behind them. It almost brought her to tears, someone was actually proud of her.

Her voice broke as she spoke, but there was a massive smile on her face, “Thank you, Cal.” A pause, “Now how about we get the _fuck_ out of here?” She laughed, pulling the lever to the hyperdrive. 

Cal giggled, “Yes please.”

The stars blurred into lines as a feeling of accomplishment overwhelmed her.

She was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c
> 
> Thank you for reading! But the story isn't over yet!! Stay tuned for more!!


	11. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira meets the crew!

A giant red planet comes into view once Amira exits hyperspace.

“Dathomir? What’s on Dathomir?” She questions more to herself, but Cal interrupts her thoughts.

“Huh? Oh. Nothing. Cere probably doesn’t want you knowing about our actual base yet.”

She was upset, but only for a brief moment, considering her background. “Yup. That’s fair I guess.”

Amira starts the descent, breaking through the atmosphere. She makes a wide circle, until the Mantis appeared, watching where it would land before finding a spot herself. 

As she lowers the ship she suddenly feels incredibly nervous.

“Cal? What are they expecting from me?” She questions, anxiety in her voice.

“Well, they’re expecting an ex-Inquisitor who’s attempted to kill me on more than one occasion.” He chuckled but his honesty was brutal and she felt shame flow through her. “What they don’t know is how you’re nothing like that Inquisitor anymore.”

As the ship landed, Amira remained quiet, turning over his words.

_So...they’re going to hate me._

Cal exited first, turning around to help her down. He must have seen the worry painted on her face. 

“I don’t want you to be scared. I’ve told them about your journey, how I’ve felt you change since we first met.” he comforted. “They just want to meet you.”

Amira nodded, meeting his eyes for a moment, she felt slightly sick. 

“Don’t be someone you’re not. Just, be the Amira that I’ve come to know and respect. Alright?” He smiled at her and she returned her own small one. BD-1 even gave her a few beeps and boops of encouragement.

“Okay.”

They made their way through a small cliffside village before finding a bridge of rock that led to a large landing area.

Amira stopped as she saw two people exit the Mantis, could she actually do this?

She’d been feared for five years, starved of any normal socialization since joining the Inquisition. The last person who had shown her decency was the Jedi in front of her.

“Just be yourself.” Cal whispered to her before running ahead to meet his crew. 

She jumped down a few moments after him, meeting the smile of another human, “Cere. This is Amira.” Cal introduced them. 

Cere took her hand in both of hers, smiling widely, “Amira it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve been worried, but I’m happy you’re finally safe.” 

She could feel the force within Cere, it wasn’t as strong as her or Cal’s, but she knew she’d once trained in it. There was also an extra weight to it, a weight that the dark side usually had. 

Cere had struggled with the light and dark side of the force, just like she had. 

Amira couldn’t help her own smile, fighting back the lump in her throat that had suddenly manifested. “Thank you for your kindness, Cere.”

Cere nodded once, then turned behind her, “Greez. Why are you still up there? Come out here.”

Amira looked to the door of the ship, seeing a Lateron standing in the shadows.

“You know how I feel about the red light on Dathomir.” He defended.

“Greez, Amira. Amira, our humble captain Greez.” Cal grinned, gesturing to him.

Amira smiled and respect his space. She got an awkward huff from the captain who waved briefly then retreated back into the ship. 

That was more the response she had expected from the crew.

She reminded herself that she had to earn their trust before turning to meet a striking woman.

“Amira, this is Merrin. Resident Nightsister.” Cal continued.

“Hello Amira.” the Nightsister made her way towards her and Amira felt a different type of force around her. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Cal hasn’t shut up about you since your first meeting.” 

She offered her hand for Amira to shake, which she did with a sly smile. She looked back to Cal and was very amused by the look on face, even Cere was smirking. 

The Jedi sighed, deciding not to reply to the blatant call out. “All right. What would you like to do Cere?”

“Well,” Cere turned serious, “I have a good feeling that Amira will be with us for some time. But I’m also concerned for our...safety.”

Amira nodded in agreement. “I know my...past is a problem. And the last thing I want to do is put any of you in danger...again.” She felt all eyes on her.

“I know I have not yet earned your trust. But I simply want Cal’s leadership back into the light. I feel my previous training will hinder my growth and need his help to overcome...well, all of it.” She looked at her feet. 

“I will do whatever is asked of me to make sure you are comfortable with my company.” 

When she looked up, she was met with nothing but understanding eyes. Cal gave her a proud nod. 

“Of course, Amira.” Cere began, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I myself have fought with the darkness inside of me. I know your struggle.” She smiled at Cal. “Just as Cal had pulled me back from the edge, he has done the same for you. You’ve found a great teacher.”

_Thankfully he found me._

Cere turned and made her way towards the ship, giving Cal a gentle pat on his shoulder as she past him. “Let’s go home, whenever your ready.”

Merrin followed Cere into the ship, leaving the pair outside. Amira walked to the edge of the cliff, admiring the jagged landscape and deep reds of Dathomir. She was overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness. 

“I had no idea that you were relying on me that much.” Cal said quietly as he came to stand next to her. 

“I don’t mean to be a burden...” Amira responded, her fatigue making itself known again. 

“No. You’re not. I had known from the beginning that I wanted to help you. I just didn’t think we’d be here so quickly.” He surveyed the horizon, not looking at her. They stood in silence for a moment before Amira remembered…

“What you did was really stupid, y’know that?”

Cal looked at her incredulously, “What!?” Amira laughed loudly at his response, turning to face him.

“Sneaking onto an Imperial star destroyer to break me out? Risking death or being tortured into submission of the dark side? For me?” She shook her head, “Super dumb, Cal.”

“Oh!” He laughed and shrugged. “Well. Cere would agree it wasn’t the best plan, and I was mostly acting on instinct, but...you called out to me. I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“Actually…” Amira winced, remembering that moment. “I realize now that it was more...of a goodbye.” She met his eyes. “I was in no way expecting a rescue. If anything, I was expecting to not wake up after reaching out.”

Cal’s eyes looked sad. 

“I don’t regret doing it.” He began. “When I made my way onto the ship your life force was so dim I could hardly sense it...I feared I was too late. But I had a suspicion you’d finally found something to live for. The fact that I found you alive proved that.” His green eyes were fierce.

_I wanted to see you again._

“I still would’ve saved you, even if you hadn’t woken up.” Cal confessed quietly. 

Amira fought back against the sudden tears in her eyes, and instead wrapped her arms around him.

After a surprised moment he returned her hug, his warmth and light enveloping her.

She closed her eyes, the weight of the past few days falling off of her. “Thank you, Cal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and leaving comments and kudos! <3 :')
> 
> I got a lot more left in me though so keep checking for updates!


	12. Bogano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira arrives at her new home, Cal and crew's secret base on Bogano. It doesn't take long for her to begin her healing journey.

“Beep, boop-beep. Beeeeeeeep!”

Amira groaned, she hadn’t been asleep long enough.

“Trill-trill-bwoooop…” BD-1 jumped onto her chest, poking at her face. 

“C’mon BD...just a bit longer…” she whined, yanking the blanket up over her face. 

“Woo-woo-Wooooo!” The little droid countered. 

Amira quickly uncovers her face, narrowing her eyes at him. Her binary was a bit rusty but she understood his threat. “You wouldn’t…” 

“Oh. He would.” Cal interrupts, leaning down from the bunk above her.

Amira’s face instantly turns red and Cal laughs, though his cheeks were almost as pink. She scowls at the droid who does a little dance, his beeps turning into laughter.

“Hey you two, wake up! Bogano calls.” Greez yells from the cockpit of the Mantis. 

Cal jumps down from his bunk as Amira yawns, releasing the blanket. 

The ship shudders, finding the ground. 

He offers his hand, “C’mon. Let me show you around.” 

Bogano was bright and warm. It’s broken landscape stretched as far as she could see, breezes whipped through the gaps of endless plateaus, and native creatures roamed and burrowed. It sounded just as peaceful as it looked, she could feel the force surrounding her.

The base was tucked into a lower level of the rocks, a large waterfall hid the hangar which then led to their living area. 

The rest of the crew retreated to the library to go over the small bit of intel Cal had gotten from the star destroyer while she received the tour. 

“Greezs’ favorite spot is over there.” Cal gestured to the kitchen and nearby colorful terrarium that had a comfy looking chair nestled into well trimmed vines. 

“Cere spends most of her time in the library. And Merrin has her own space for practicing her craft further down the left hallway.” He continues as Amira admires the greenery. 

“What about you?” She questions. 

“Oh. I’m down this hall to the right. It’s really nice, best thing I’ve ever had. I have my own workbench and everything.” Cal’s eyes lit up and she smiled in response. 

Amira yawned again, still groggy from her short nap. 

“Come. Your room is right after mine.”

She followed him into a cozy, medium sized room with an attached bathroom. It had a bookshelf, a desk and the bed looked tantalizingly comfortable. 

She fell onto it, sighing loudly. 

“It’s not much, but it should be everything you need.” He leaned against the doorframe while BD-1 hopped around the room. 

“Hmmm. It’s perfect.” She murmured, closing her eyes. 

Cal chuckled quietly, “I’ll let you sleep. C’mon, BD.” His grin widened as he closed the door, Amira already quietly snoring.

* * *

She’s not sure how long she slept, but it felt amazing. Her strength had fully returned. 

When she woke, there was a small lamp on the nightstand that bathed the space in soft yellow light. Amira looked around the room again, finding a small stack of fresh clothes and towels for her. 

She stretched and stood, wandering around the space. She took off the small bag that had come with her, unloading its few contents onto the desk and sitting on the stool.

The old bracelet was made of small individually carved stones, each one with a different color and opacity. She tries to remember when exactly she got it and how, but she only finds a mental wall.

_Why can’t I remember?_

She attempts to search through her oldest memories, but is only met with sharp stabs of pain in her temples. 

Frustration fills her for a moment, but she then realizes that it’s probably a good idea to rediscover her old self.

The Empire no longer had a hold on her, and her memories would probably come back in time. 

It would be a vital part of her healing. 

Amira takes a steadying breath and puts on the bracelet. She places the spare lightsaber parts into the top drawer, imagining how she wanted her new saber to look, whenever she had the time to make it that is. She took her black saber from her belt and set it on the desk, studying it. 

She’d had this weapon for the past six years, it had kept her alive all this time. She wanted to say goodbye to it but couldn’t deny, much of who she is now lies in this weapon. 

Her black cloak had also been with her for many years as well, luckily it wasn't covered with Empire insignia so she could continue to wear it. She hung it on the hooks near the door then surveyed the stack of clothes.

There were plain black pants, a deep violet undershirt and a light gray tunic with a matching violet wrapping for her waist.

A fresh pair of dark brown gloves were sitting next to everything along with an extra pair of boots.

She’ll have to compliment whoever picked it all out. 

After a hot shower she brushed her hair and got dressed. Her bruises were still evident, though starting to yellow and her swollen lip didn’t look as bad as it felt.

When she cracked her door open to peek outside she could hardly see. Blue early morning light had just begun to filter in the big living room windows and down through the skylights in the rock above. 

She quietly padded down the hall to the living area, finding no one. It was silent except for the faint sound of the waterfall and flying creatures of Bogano. 

Amira decided to explore and entered the library, scanning the multitudes of titles. There was history, biology, botany, music, and a small corner of fiction.

The terrarium kept her attention for longer. The soft purples, yellows and reds of the flowers, the bright green vines that moved towards her if she got too close, and the small puffy mushrooms that seemed to breathe. 

It fascinated her. 

She could tell Greez took good care of all of them. 

After wandering the main living area she snuck into the giant hangar. A massive workbench lined the back wall, covered with small tools and spare ship parts, she walked over to the waterfall and reached out, the water was cold.

Just as she was about to head back inside she saw a small rug near the edge of the hangar, it sat near the corner, just out of the way of the splashing water with a nice view of the landscape.

Amira wondered how often Cal or Cere meditated here. She sat down cross-legged on the rug, deciding to give it a try. It’d been a while since she had meditated herself, but figured it would be a good way to start reconnecting with the light. 

She closed her eyes and let the tips of her fingers find the stone floor. She felt both Cal and Cere’s leftover energy. 

_Reach out. What else is there?_

The force energy of the planet itself. Bogano was teeming with light. It wove in between the atoms of the stone, was burrowed in the dirt, it flowed through each blade of grass. 

She sensed an ancient history among everything. Something sacred and meaningful. But...it came to an abrupt halt.

_An extinct civilization?_

Something had forced them to perish but she couldn’t figure out what it was, though it felt heavy and powerful.

After placing her hands in her lap she tries again, clearing her mind and just feeling the force. Getting attuned with it’s ebb and flow, sending it to her palms and fingertips, pulling it into her center from all around her. 

Amira feels something familiar wash over her. She had felt it from deep within the ground and it regularly surround Cal, but now she had found it inside her. 

Peace. 

Yes, the chaos of the dark was still there, demanding to be acknowledged. But she finally had the light within her grasp again, and she had found it all on her own. 

_The balance of the force._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 More good stuff soon!


	13. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira acclimates to her new home and does some training with Cal.

Amira stays in the hangar for a while, practicing with her meditations.

Noises from within the kitchen pull her back, and she decides to head back inside. 

“Good morning!” Cere greets her as Amira enters, she seemed to be making tea.

“Morning.” Amira smiles. She heads towards the kitchen, watching Cere go about her daily routine. 

“I hope you slept well. You were out for a while.”

“Oh yes. I feel much better now. Back to 100%.”

“I’m glad.” She smiled, “Tea?”

“Sure. Thank you.” Amira agreed, suddenly starving and very thirsty.

“Greez will be up in a bit to make breakfast for everyone if your hungry.” The woman smiled at her, reading her mind. 

Cere poured her a cup and opened a holo-pad, scrolling through a bunch of small words. 

Amira wandered while she drank, watching the sun finish rising through the large windows in the living room. 

She senses the rest of the house stirring, everyone’s individual energies coming back from sleep. 

“Amira.” Cere began.

“Hm?” ‘Mira turned.

“How are you doing?” Cere looked concerned. 

“I’m…” She began, pausing. “I’m doing better, all things considered. I did some meditating and feel I had a positive breakthrough.” Amira walked towards the counter, attempting to find the right words.

“Something is bothering you though, I can feel it.” Cere states, inviting her to vent the morning’s frustrations.

“I have this old bracelet. It’s from my padawan days.” Amira meets her eyes, she was listening. “The problem is that that’s all I remember about it. I don’t remember where I got it or from who. And the more I tried to figure out, the more I realized that...It’s like my memories are just...gone.”

She rubbed her temples, the sharp pain occurring again. “I don’t remember my early training. I don’t remember what happened during the purge. I’ve tried and tried and...I can’t even remember my old Master.”

“Does it cause you pain?” Cere questioned, trying to piece it together herself.

“Actually yeah. Like sharp stabs in my brain whenever I try to look back.” Amira’s eyes narrowed. “Could it be the Empire’s doing?”

“I hate to think so, but it could be.” Cere looked frustrated now.

“I could maybe help you remember.” Cal interjected, seeming to appear out of nowhere, Amira jumped slightly.

His hair was a mess and he wore a light shirt and sweatpants. 

“Oh.” Cere realized, “He could!”

“How?” Amira questioned, obviously missing something.

“My psychometry.” He began, smirking at her confused expression at the word, he grabbed a cup and poured himself a drink as he spoke. “I can sense echoes in the force. Almost like...going back in time and seeing the history of an object.”

“A rare gift for a Jedi.” Cere added.

“Though it can be a curse too.” Cal continued. “Depending on the strength of an echo, and the history behind it, it can cripple me, making me vulnerable...I’m still working on controlling it.” He confessed.

“I think I understand.” Amira said quietly, running her thumb over the bracelet. She suddenly debated whether or not she wanted to discover what memories this bracelet held. 

Maybe it would be best after she had gotten a little more comfortable with the new balance she had found. 

“I’d be happy to help.” He reassured, moving to stand next to her. It only took him a moment to read the look on her face.

“Whenever you’re ready.” He smiled.

* * *

Amira grinned as she lunged, Cal quickly rolled to the side, avoiding the edge of the small plateau. 

“You’re going easy on me Kestis!” She taunted, barraging him with a series of quick attacks from her dual bladed saber. 

Cal smirked as he met her last hit, lightsabers sparking as they held their block. “Oh, am I?”

He shoved her back, immediately following with an upward slice that Amira almost didn’t dodge in time. 

Cal was scary when he really tried. Turning his usual sunny and carefree demeanor to one of unrelenting power within seconds. 

He could clear a room full of troopers effortlessly, he was one of the strongest people she’d ever encountered. 

And, _damn_ , she loved the challenge. 

Amira sidestepped after finding her footing, keeping a close eye on the edge of their platform. 

Now Cal charged her, forcing her to block a long flurry of attacks, though she managed to parry his last hit. Suddenly she felt his power increasing, and she had to quickly roll to avoid a powerful overhead slice. 

Amira thought she was out of range but he quickly jumped up, bringing down his saber again with more force than his last lunge, causing her to roll backwards further. Small rocks under her foot crumbled to the endless depths below. 

Now Cal was grinning. 

He continued into a recognizable attack pattern as Amira found her footing. She managed to meet each swipe, but before long he attempted to overwhelm her again. 

This time she easily jumped over his legs before he tried to sweep them out from under her. ‘Mira’s hand found his shoulder, vaulting herself above him. Instead of landing behind him she quickly dodged again, hitting his hand as she landed and pulling his, now falling, weapon into her grasp with the force. 

Before he could react Amira ducked, anticipating a force push, and used his own trick against him. She swept her legs under his, making him topple to the ground with a thud, and quickly knelt above his chest, his own saber inches from his throat. 

She winked, smirking at him, “Nice try.”

His hands went up in surrender as he looked at his weapon in her hand, an impressed smile on his face, “You’re terrifying, you know that?”

“Well thank you.” Amira grinned at the compliment. She took one last amused look at him before quickly standing and offering her hand to help him to his feet. 

He stood and stretched out his back, chuckling. “You haven’t lost control today at all. Very good.” 

Amira sighed, collecting herself, “That was fun.” She grabbed her bottle of water off the ground nearby, taking a drink. “Y’know. I enjoy sparring with you.”

Cal looked at her, eyebrows raised, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You don’t play around. You make it a challenge. I like a challenge.” Amira smiled, her cheeks turning a slight pink. 

“You can’t improve if you don’t face obstacles.” Cal shrugged and grinned. “I’m glad I’m actually able to help since you already have so much training. I’m still trying to figure out how to help with your force connection though.” He seated himself on the ground, taking a drink of his own water. 

“My meditations are getting better.” Amira began, sitting across from him. She’d made excellent progress in the few weeks she’d been here. “I can still feel the darkness, it’s louder some days than others. But I’ve found a careful balance.”

Cal nodded, listening. 

“I’m actually more worried about going back into battle. Whenever that happens.” Amira confesses. 

“You feel you’ll lose control?” He asked. 

“Yeah, especially if things go south or something happens to you or the crew. I can’t have you with me all the time to sense when I’m losing it.”

_Though I wouldn’t mind having you with me all the time..._

Cal scratched his beard, he was thinking of something. 

“I guess the only way to see is to test it.” He concluded. 

“What?” Amira began, fear settling in her stomach.

“Let’s get you in the field. What better way to test your limits?” He studied her face, then suddenly pointed at her. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“That fear spreading through you, I can sense it.” He shook his head, holding her eyes. “You can’t let it take over. It will only lead you back down that dark path. Have patience with yourself.”

Amira ran her fingers through her lose bangs, sighing. 

“How do you know I won’t lose it again? How can you be so confident in me?” She asked, watching him soften immediately. 

“I can feel it.” He replied simply. “You know your connection to the force better than I do, and you are always very aware of yourself. Yes, I'm here to help you before you cross a line, for now. But I’m positive you won’t lose control again. You’re incredibly strong ‘Mira. Stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Cal finished, nodding at her. 

She smiled at him, allowing his words to etch themselves into her brain. He once again makes it difficult for her to even fathom letting him down.

“Alright. If you say so.” Amira reluctantly agreed, laughing as Cal rolled his eyes. Though she joked, gratitude filled her.

“C’mon.” He began, his hands reaching for hers. “Let’s meditate.”

“T-together?” Amira stuttered. 

“Y-yeah.” Cal’s ears were turning red, he paused before explaining. “Weeks ago when I got you off that ship, you touched my chest and I felt us grow stronger. It was strange, I’d never felt that before.”

“I...I actually dreamed about it. That’s why I did it.” Amira revealed. “I wanted to see if it would work.” 

“Ha! So you were dreaming of me!” Cal laughed.

“Yes I was. Ahhh!” Amira groaned, covering her face with her hands, she was hiding a shy smile. 

_As far as he’ll ever know, it was only **one** dream…_

“It’s okay!” Cal comforted, still chuckling as he scoot closer to her.

Amira felt his hands over hers, he pulled them from her face to sit joined between them. “Dreams are a sort of...doorway to the future for Jedi. It allows us to expand our connection to the force and the things around us. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Okay.” She mumbled nervously, though not meeting his eyes. 

Cal hesitated, “If it makes you feel better I’ve also dreamed of you.” Their eyes met, “That’s how I knew you’d turn. It’s also how I knew where you were on the ship.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Amira tried, and failed, to not focus on his piercing green eyes and his thumb aimlessly grazing the back of her hand. She couldn’t hide her shy smile as she shook her head, trying to clear it. 

So she closed her eyes, beginning the meditation and concentrating on the energy that connected them.

Compared to Cal’s bright and powerful life force, her’s was more mellow. But together they coalesced to become something much stronger. 

It heightened their senses, making them hyper aware of every heartbeat and whisper of wind. They could practically read each other’s thoughts. 

Amira felt Cal’s struggles and victories, all the lessons he’s learned. 

Cal felt Amira’s pain and recovery. He sensed her want to grow, to become better. He suddenly understood the seemingly impenetrable wall that blocked her path to success. 

“Show me what you do remember before the Inquisition.” He spoke quietly. 

Amira hesitated. 

“I’ll be alright.” He assured, giving her hands a small squeeze. 

So she showed him. Her memories were fragmented and random, but she showed him everything she could remember. 

A colorful nebula. A bright green garden. A lightsaber in her small hands. Falling snow. An affection she couldn’t describe, almost motherly? 

A single memory stood out. 

She saw light gray robes walking in front of her, when she tried to look up at the person the memory turned to a dark blur and she winced at the pain behind her eye, pulling her out of focus. 

Cal’s force energy surged, blending even more with her own, “Try again.” He urged, tightening his hold on her hands. 

Amira reached in again, but this time when she looked at the face there was a smudge of blue and white with a dark, painted smile in the middle. 

Her eyes snapped open as she gasped, her memories returning to her like a flood. 

_Master Nena!_

“What did you see?” Cal asked, he was smiling. 

“Master Nena...Killi. My master! She was a...a Togruta, her head tails were blue and white. We were training on Coruscant in the Jedi temple.” Amira’s voice was loud with excitement. “Haha! I finally remember her!”

Yet, not _all_ her memories had returned and her face fell. 

“She...died.”

“How?” Cal asked quietly, his voice somber. The connection between them became incredibly sad. 

“I...I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and sat in silence, Cal’s hands still holding onto hers. She took advantage of his comfort as she faced yet another mental wall. 

“Do you want to try to remember?” He asked, leaning down to catch her eyes when she opened them. 

Amira looked at the bracelet sitting on her wrist, Cal’s eyes following her gaze. 

She knew that it held the answers she needed. But not now. She did not currently possess the strength needed to tear down this final obstacle. 

“No.” She shook her head, fighting a sudden lump in her throat. 

“Alright.” Cal responded quietly. “Let’s call it. You’ve achieved a lot today. I’m proud of you.” He helped her stand. 

“Thank you Cal.” Amira whispered, not wanting to let go of his hand. 

Surprising her, Cal pulls her to his chest, hugging her. She easily wraps her arms around him before she feels him kiss the top of her head. 

“I know how it feels to lose your master. You’re not alone.” He murmurs into her hair. 

Amira tightens her hold on him, breathing in his smell and memorizing how his chest vibrated as he spoke. His whole presence radiated comfort. 

She could say ‘thank you’ millions of times over, but it still wouldn’t portray just how thankful Amira was for Cal. 

He breaks the hug, taking her hand again as they began walking. “Let’s head home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on the way, though I feel we are approaching the end soon! I've been working my brain like crazy so I might be slowing down a bit! Thank you for reading! <3


	14. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira, Cal and crew help some Rebels and things don't quite go as planned.

“I’ve been keeping a close eye on Imperial bounty boards and guess who’s name popped up this morning?” Cere smiled, looking at one of the two girls sitting at the counter.

Amira gasped, “Ohh! Pick me!!” She laughed, “It’s about damn time, honestly.”

“It did take them quite a while to add you.” Merrin agrees, lightly tugging on a section of Amira’s hair as she braided it for her. “How much is it for?” The nightsister asks.

“Ahhh...600,000 credits.” Cere answered. 

Amira frowned, “That’s awfully low. Especially compared to some other Jedi bounties.” She narrowed her eyes at Cal’s closed door.

“I guess they think you’re not worth it.” Merrin responded, completely deadpan. “They’d have to break you in and risk you turning against them again. I would’ve gone lower honestly.” She continued.

“Thanks...Merrin.” Amira’s voice was full of sarcasm as the nightsister smiled. 

“I don’t know. 600,000 extra credits sounds pretty tempting to me.” Greez says loudly as he enters the room.

“Aaahh. Come on Greezy!” Amira whined, “I’ve helped you cook and add modifications to the Mantis. That’s just not fair.” He waved her off with a quiet huff. 

“Oh. I had to trim the milkgrass this morning. It tried to grab me as I walked by.” Amira continued, as Greez surveyed his plants. 

She watched him scrutinize her work for a moment, “How do you know how to do this perfectly?! You’ve never even kept a garden.” He looks at her incredulously. 

Amira smiled and shrugged, “Guess it’s just a natural talent I have.”

“Baah! Whatever.” He waved her off again, making his way to the hangar to prepare for their day trip. 

Amira finished her tea as Merrin tied off her hair. She reached up to feel it, the braid wrapped around her head with beads added here and there in slight Dathomirian style. 

“Thank you, Merrin. I’m sure it’s beautiful as always.” Amira smiled at her.

“It takes me back to when I used to braid my sisters hair, I am glad you like it.” Merrin returned the smile.

“‘Mira!” Cal called for her from inside his room.

Amira made her way over to his door, knocking quietly.

“Yeah, come in.”

He was hunched over his workbench on the opposite wall, BD-1 was powered down on his pillow. She walked over to him, leaning on the bench to admire his handy work. 

“What’s up, Cal?”

“I have a stipulation for you regarding this mission today.” The Jedi responded, putting down his tool and making eye contact with her.

She had a sudden funny feeling in her stomach.

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes?”

“Leave your lightsaber here.” Cal said quickly, unsure of how she would react.

“Excuse me?” Amira was confused.

“You don’t need to bring your saber today.” Cal repeated, watching her face.

“Okay. And why is this?” She said sharply as she tried to make sense of it.

“It’s still red, it will throw off the rebels. They’ll be hesitant to trust us.”

“Cal. I know it’s a simple escort mission but what if we run into Imps?” Her confusion was turning into frustration.

“You have your blaster.”

Amira scoffed, “Screw the color of the blade Cal, if the Rebels want Jedi help then they’ll have to deal with it. It’s not like I can help the color anyways, we’ve hardly left Bogano for me to make a new one!”

“No. It stays here.” He replied firmly. Nothing was changing his mind. 

“Cal I need my weapon. I can’t fight without it.” Amira challenged. 

“A lightsaber doesn’t make you a Jedi, Amira.” He replied, a knowing edge to his voice.

_Okay, does this have something to do with me?_

She shook her head and moved to sit on the stool next to him, trying to control her rising anger, “Have I not proven myself ready?”

“Of course you have ‘Mira, or else you wouldn’t be coming at all.” He softened a bit. “But we shouldn’t need weapons today. No Imps have been reported in the area. Like you said, it’s an easy escort. ”

“But you’re bringing yours?” Amira asked.

“Of course.” His eyes were warning her to drop it, he wasn’t changing his mind. 

Amira blinked, letting frustration fill her briefly. She unhooked her saber from her belt and set it on his workbench with more force than necessary.

She quickly stood and made her way out of his room, mumbling to herself. “Guess I’ll grab my _blaster_ then…” 

He stopped her before she could leave, “And I’ve been planning to take you to Ilum, ‘Mira. I was just waiting until you were ready.” His voice was expectant, though Amira didn’t turn to face him. “Please don’t let me down today.” It wasn’t a warning, but more of a hope.

Amira pursed her lips, deciding not to respond to him as she closed his door behind her and made her way to her room. 

It took everything in her power to control the frustration within her. Cal was right and it drove her mad, a lightsaber didn’t make her a Jedi. Today was a test and she had to pass, she wanted to pass. 

She reluctantly strapped on her leg holster and clipped in the blaster. 

Cal was definitely gonna hear it from her if they got ambushed today.

* * *

Everything seemed fishy from the moment they left the Mantis. They were on a small, forest covered moon. There was a large underground cache here that the commanding rebel officer needed to get in and out of safely. 

Groups of rebels were loading up hover carts, cleaning weapons and talking among themselves. Cal and Cere were running over the plan with the commander of the operation while Amira walked the outer perimeter. 

The flight over had been extra quiet, Amira read a book while Cal stayed in the cockpit. She understood his thought process on her not having her weapon, but was still upset by it. 

She really hoped they wouldn’t run into trouble. 

While Amira walked the outer edge of the camp she noticed small movement from up within the trees deeper into the forest. She looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to her, and ventured a few feet into the woods, beginning another circle around the camp. 

Movement from above caught her attention and she narrowed her eyes, straining to see.

There weren’t enemies in the woods, they were rebels. Each one sat silently in their tree, weapons at the ready.

_Now, why on earth would they need armed lookout on a moon that the Empire haven’t located yet?_

_They aren’t telling us something._

Luckily she hadn’t been spotted by the lookout crew, so she made her way to Cal, he needed to know.

As she approached, the group finished their conversation. Cal looked at her, confusion crossed his face as he sensed her unease.

“A word?” Amira asked, motioning him away from the group.

“What did you find?” Cal whispered.

“They have armed lookouts in the trees just outside the camp.” Amira shook her head, “I’ve had this weird feeling since we landed. Cal, they’re not telling us something.”

“Hmmm...” He scratched his freshly trimmed beard. BD-1 beeped on his back.

“Wait. Did the commander assure you that the path was safe?” 

“Well, yes.” Cal’s confusion matched hers.

“Then why the hell would they need a Jedi escort if there’s nothing dangerous in these woods?” Amira was suspicious. 

The commander then yelled, rallying everyone to their positions. The pair looked around for a moment, noticing a few rebels taking up arms on either side of the caravan.

“Well. It sure _looks_ like they're expecting company, Cal.” Amira shook her head. 

“Take BD and scout ahead. He’s got the path marked, keep your comm link on.” Cal decided, she could sense worry in his voice. 

Amira nodded once and extended her arm for the small droid to climb across and take a spot on her back. She promptly turned and headed for a small entrance in the trees, stopping when Cal called to her, “‘Mira! Trust in the force.”

She smiled and nodded, understanding. 

Amira jogged for quite a while before stopping to check the map.

“How far ahead do you think we are, bud?” She breathlessly asked BD.

“Bwoop, beep-trill-woooo.”

“Yeah, I can’t hear them either. We must be far enough.” She looked ahead through the trees, listening for anything.

_It’s awfully quiet..._

Amira began walking, the funny feeling in her stomach had gotten worse. “Any signs of endemic life nearby BD?”

“Bwoooooo…”

“Hm. Now...why would a massive forest be empty of natural life? No birds, no bugs...just silence.”

“Beep-beep, boo.” 

“Good idea.” She lifted her arm, activating her comms. “Cal. Come in.”

It was a moment before he answered. “How’s it going, ‘Mira?”

“Nothing so far. I’m about a mile out from the cache. It’s very...quiet, no natural life anywhere. I’m gonna approach and see if anything is there. I’ll let you know. You stay sharp back there.”

“Understood. Be careful.”

Amira continued walking, making her footsteps as silent as possible. About a half a mile out she begins hearing sounds. Footsteps?

She moves forward, treading in a more densely packed patch of trees as she finished her approach. 

When she broke the treeline she was both surprised and not surprised. BD-1 cursed quietly causing Amira to smirk.

“Cal. We’ve got Imps.”

“Dammit! How bad?” Frustration and disappointment evident in his voice.

“At least 3 ranks up top, but who knows how many more inside the base. I’ll wait for your orders.” 

He didn’t respond. No doubt he was confronting the rebel commander for an explanation. 

She sat for a while, observing the enemy. They were bringing the cache supplies up to the surface, freight carriers would probably be arriving to pick it all up, hopefully no time soon. 

A sudden tug in the force made her turn, Cal was coming to meet her.

After another few minutes of waiting he came jogging up to her vantage spot. 

“They’re bringing the supplies up to the surface.” Amira began, “If they’re following protocol, freight carriers should be coming to pick it all up. No sign of that yet though.”

“Yeah, let’s hope we don’t run into those.” Cal agreed, kneeling next to her. 

Amira’s attitude turned bitter for a moment, she knew something like this would happen. To top it all off, all she had to defend herself was a short range blaster. 

Focusing on the task at hand was more important so she quickly put her frustration aside, leaning against a nearby tree, “So what’s the plan, boss man?”

“The commander wants it cleared out.” Cal responds quietly, pulling his saber from his belt.

Amira sighed, “Of course he does.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The Jedi questioned her, expecting her to complain.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, pulling the blaster from the holster, frowning as she looked at it. She mentally prepared for the fight ahead, multiple ranks of storm troopers against two Jedi, one without their weapon. What could possibly go wrong? “Man I hope we’re getting paid for this. I’ll cover you.” 

The pair made a good team, managing to somehow stay stealthed as they took down almost two full ranks of troopers. Of course Cal was doing all the work. 

_I hate being useless…_

“Oh.” Cal whispered, quickly retreating back behind a stack of supplies, Amira bumped into him. “Purge trooper.” He warned.

“All the way out here? Why?” She murmured.

“I don’t know, why don’t you go up and ask them?” He sarcastically asked.

Amira rolled her eyes and bit her tongue. 

“Forget stealth. Let’s just take care of the rest.” Cal directed. 

As he jumped out from behind the crate, Amira peeked around the opposite side, shooting down two troopers with head shots. 

All hell quickly broke loose and three more troopers took aim at Cal. She stood and shot their direction, quickly ducking behind another crate as two blaster bolts whizzed past her ear. 

There was a loud noise ahead of her and both her and Cal looked up. A hatch opened and storm troopers began pouring out of it from below. 

After a final, powerful slice to the purge trooper, Cal joined her behind her cover. 

“Hey Cal?” Amira yelled over blaster fire, making herself small to avoid being shot. 

“Yeah?” He peeked around the edge, groaning as their enemies numbers grew. 

“Please tell me we have backup on the way!” She shot down four troopers before he responded. 

“Uhh. Maybe?” He gave her a meek smile while her eyes narrowed at him. 

“Fucking _fantastic_.” She shot down two more enemies. 

“Let’s push forward. Stay behind me so I can reflect anything away from you.” Cal planned. 

“Alright.” Amira agreed. 

She followed him closely, a hand resting on his shoulder as she blasted four more troopers before they moved behind the next bit of cover. 

“How many more are there?! What is this, the Clone Wars?!” She sighed. They seemed to multiply before their eyes. 

The pair continued to dwindle their numbers, but only by a little. It was too risky for Cal to charge with his saber and Amira was stuck behind cover only able to take down a few at a time. 

They collapsed next to each other again, more footsteps approaching. 

“Cal. I’m not helping much here…”

“‘Mira I don’t have another weapon!” He groaned, obviously frustrated with the situation. 

“Yes. You do.” She pointed to his dual saber. It was a moment before his eyes lit up. 

“Run ahead. I’ll toss it to you.” He had a small smile on his face. 

Amira sprinted, shooting down 5 troopers before sliding to dodge an incoming rocket. She quickly turned and froze it before sending it back towards the clueless enemies. The following explosion made her ears ring. 

“Now!” She heard Cal yell behind her and turned just in time to reach out and grab the lightsaber flying at her. The hilt was heavy compared to hers, but she adapted quickly. . 

A group of nearby troopers saw the exchange and immediately started to back up as Amira stalked towards them. 

“Naahhh. Don’t run boys.” Amira laughed, sending back a blaster bolt to whoever shot it at her without looking. “We’re just getting started!” 

Together they were unstoppable. The unending ranks of enemies fell easily to them and before long the last trooper finally fell. 

Cal and Amira were breathing heavily, staring at the bodies lying on the ground around them. 

Noises from the trees alerted them and they raised their weapons again, this time finding Cere followed by the caravan. 

Amira giggles, walking towards Cal. “Now _that_ , that was fun.”

“Life or death situation. But it’s fun, she says.” Cal teased, a smirk on his face. 

She laughed again, practicing a flourish with his saber before it suddenly switched off on its own. They both looked at it with confusion before Amira tossed it back to its owner, “I guess it doesn’t like me that much.”

Cal surprised her by descending into a fit of giggles as Cere approached them. 

Her face showed she was impressed but slightly concerned at the carnage around them. “So...you cleared them out?”

“Yup!” Amira confirmed, her cheeks pink from Cal’s infectious laughter. 

“I’ll check below.” Cal finished for her, a big grin on his face. 

Cere smiled, happy to see the pair alive and enjoying themselves. “Good job, you two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I'm hoping you enjoy the story! I'm gonna split this chapter up as well cause it's looooong. :D


	15. Psychometry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Amira grow closer through her horrific experiences. 
> 
> {sad and soft} c:

Amira was laying in bed reading a book and recovering from the days mission when a sound from the other side of the wall spooked her. 

No doubt it was Cal working on another project. 

She continued reading but was interrupted a few more times. 

With a quiet huff she got up and padded to the door down the hall, knocking twice. 

“Come in.” Cal responded. 

She stepped in and gently closed the door behind her so as not to disturb the rest of the sleeping house. 

“You’re being loud again, Cal.” Amira began, joining him at his work table. 

He gave her a brief smile before returning to his work, “Sorry.”

Amira remembers that there was another reason she wanted to talk to Cal. 

“Hey, can we talk for a minute.” She began, fidgeting with a spare part on the table. 

She looked up to see the Jedi’s full attention on her. “Yes we can.”

“I’m sorry...about my behavior this morning. I understand that being a Jedi is more than just wielding a lightsaber. I was...acting childish....It won’t happen again.” She finished quietly. 

Cal smiled again, “Thank you for your apology. But you had every right to be upset with me. I ended up being wrong and putting you in a dangerous situation without the proper protection. So for that _I_ apologize.” He loosely took her hand.

“I trust you, Cal. And I know you’re still adjusting to this whole teacher thing so. It’s okay.” Amira murmured, giving in to the temptation to intertwine her fingers with his. 

Cal didn’t stop her. 

“There’s only a couple more things you have to face before we make that trip to Ilum.” He reminded her, watching her eyes light up at the thought of a new saber. 

“I’ll be ready.” She assured him, meeting his green eyes. 

He nodded once, then leaned across her, “I believe this is yo-“

Cal suddenly gasped, his entire body tensing, it only took a moment for Amira to realize what had happened. 

Her lightsaber she left there. His psychometry. 

_Shit. No, no, no..._

Amira quickly placed her hands on either side of his face, trying to pull him back from the visions. 

“Cal? Cal come back to me…”

His eyes were clamped shut and he groaned in pain as his jaw clenched. 

All the years she had owned that weapon, all the agony she had endured with that saber by her side. 

The last thing she ever wanted was for Cal to have to experience it. 

His body twitched and he exhaled loudly. The look of torment on his face almost brought her to tears. 

Amira realized she could do nothing but hold him and wait for it to pass, so she pulled him into a hug and listened to his jagged breathing. 

After a few moments the lightsaber clattered to the ground and she felt his hands cling to her sleeves. 

“I’m here.” She whispered into his hair. She could hear his breath catch in his throat as he pulled her closer. “You’re alright, Cal.”

“How did you survive like that ‘Mira…” he asked, voice shaking. 

“It doesn’t matter how I survived. Or what I lived through. It’s in the past now.” She explained. “Cal. I never wanted you to experience that, I’m so sorry.”

He sat up quickly, looking straight into her eyes. “They tortured you to the brink of death for weeks on end, over and over again. Covered you in bruises and scars. Starved you. M-mutilated you…” 

Amira couldn’t stop the tears as she re-lived her worst memories through Cal. “And I still wouldn’t turn. I refused, out of spite.” She finished his sentence, shaking her head. 

“You stayed true to the light for so long…” His hand caressed her face. “What that _monster_ did...how he forced you to finally give in…” Cal’s fist hit the table as he spat out the words. 

“I don’t want to think about it.” Amira comforted him, a sad smile on her lips even as the memory replayed in her head. 

Darth Vader, plunging his lightsaber into a youngling’s chest. Threatening to kill one child every hour until she turned…

So she gave in. 

Vader was pleased when she almost killed him. 

“I can’t...I can’t think about that.” Amira continued, she met his eyes. “Let it go, as I have.” She urged him. “Please. It is not your burden to bear.”

He nodded weakly and she prayed her past would not haunt him for too long.

Amira closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Cal’s. 

“I am. So incredibly thankful that I met you. You saved me from a lifetime of suffering and gave me hope. A purpose...A reason to live.” She smiled even as her lip trembled. “Thank you, Cal.”

He wrapped his arms around her, becoming more of his normal self by the second. 

After Amira had taken some steadying breaths she attempted to stand to return to her room but Cal stopped her.

“No. Wait. Stay.” He whispered. “Please. I think it would be best for us to not be alone right now.” 

They needed each other. 

Both needed the other there to help fend off the demons and quiet each other’s fears.

Amira was suddenly nervous, “A-are you sure?”

His cheeks were flushed, “I want you to stay.”

She happily obliged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so good. :')
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'm so happy you've made it this far. :D


	16. Ilum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira faces her last lost memory and forges a new lightsaber!

Amira was pacing as the Mantis made it’s approach on Ilum. She was both nervous and excited. 

Cal passed her on his way to the cockpit, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Sit down ‘Mira.” He was smiling. “Oh. Grab one of the bigger coats, it’s colder than you think.”

She would normally sit with Merrin or Cere to pass the time but they had stayed behind. It was just Cal, Greez and herself. 

After putting on one of the warmer coats she sat and looked at her lightsaber. 

There weren’t enough parts to build a new one completely so she would just have to continue making changes to her existing one. 

Cal had already helped her add sleek pronged emitters, new switches and modify the body and finish. It had changed just as much as she had in the past few months. 

Her connection to the force was now healed and most of her memories had returned except for one...She ran her thumb over the bracelet, wishing she could have psychometry of her own.

Amira didn’t want to put Cal through anymore of her memories, though she had a strong feeling he would have to go through just one more.

The ship shuddered and she heard the snow crunching as they landed, she jumped up as the door opened.

“Ready?” Cal asked, joining her. 

She nodded, though suddenly unsure. 

“Hey ‘Mira?” Greez called out as they reached the bottom of the ramp.

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.” He smiled at both of them.

Amira beamed, “Thank you Greez.”

They began walking as the door to the ship closed behind them.

“He likes you, y’know.” Cal smiled, BD-1 trilled loudly on his back.

“Oh?” Amira asked feinting surprise, “It’s hard to tell when he’s constantly complaining about how I prune the feather-fern incorrectly.” She laughed. 

“True. But have you noticed you’re the only one even allowed _near_ the terrarium?”

Amira narrowed her eyes then smiled proudly, “Good point.”

The two came upon a large opening beneath the main temple face, it was half covered with ice and the wind whistled loudly into the cave beyond. 

“Whoa. This was blown wide open last time I was here.” Cal gazed at the ice, running his hand across it. 

“I’m glad it’s not closed up all the way yet.” Amira murmured.

They ducked down and made their way inside. It was safe from most of the whipping winds but stagnant with piercing cold.

Amira hugged the coat to her as they made their way up the hill. A large crystal hung from the ceiling and another massive doorway stood in front of them. 

She paused, unsure of whether or not to continue.

“Don’t think about it, ‘Mira.” Cal advised, “Just go where you’ being led. Listen for your crystal.”

Allowing the force to fill her up she exhaled softly. A quiet hum begins in her mind. “Okay, Let’s go.”

She led the way up another slope, gasping quietly as they approached the main chamber entrance. 

_Falling snow…_

Amira held her hand out, catching a single flake. “I’ve been here. I remember coming here-”

“-As a padawan. Yeah, me too.” Cal finished her sentence, looking over at her.

They shared a smile and continued to the right. 

Most of the pathways Cal had been forced to take many years ago had either frozen over or been made more accessible by the empire’s mining. 

“What if it’s not here, Cal?” Amira asked, reaching the top of an ice wall and pulling herself up. 

“Do you feel it?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I feel _something_. A humming in my head. But it hasn’t gotten louder…” There was worry in her voice. 

“Just keep going. The Empire hasn’t cleared out this temple _yet_ , I can sense it.”

She sighed, watching her breath appear and disappear in front of her, but continued on. 

They roamed the temple for a while, the humming staying consistent until they passed a deep hole in the ground and Amira saw something out of the corner of her eye. 

She stopped walking, staring down at the depths.

“Got something?” Cal asked, following her gaze. 

“Maybe. Follow me.”

They crawled over the edge, luckily the wall could be scaled. It led around a corner and deposited them into a very small tunnel, leaving little room between them.

Amira would’ve been distracted by Cal’s closeness if it wasn’t for the humming suddenly drowning out every other thought in her head.

Another problem arose, the walls of the tunnel were completely frozen solid.

“It’s here.” Amira sighed, placing her gloved hands on the wall. “BD, how thick is this ice?”

His blue laser scans the length of the area and he beeps loudly in response. 

“That’s not too bad…” She murmurs.

“How are we gonna break it?” Cal asked.

“Not...sure.” Amira continues examining the wall, dusting off a layer of frost. 

She closes her eyes, attempting to feel whatever lay beyond the wall. They’re all surprised as the ice begins trembling and forms small cracks around her hands. 

“Help me, Cal.” She begins, removing her gloves. “Easy with it though, we don’t want this place caving in.”

He aided in her attempt, more of the ice cracking and separating as they joined forces. 

Amira places her hands over the largest cracks, willing them to split even more.

The wall looked like broken glass when they stopped, the trembling had ceased and small chunks of ice began to fall.

“Now push, easy...easy…” Amira strained as she held the chunks of ice, trying not to let it fly backwards. 

They took a small step forward as they moved an entire section of wall. She looked above to see the top of another open cavern.

With another step forward she instructed Cal to let go, and chunks of ice and rock fell to the ground in front of them.

What they saw next stunned them into silence. 

A gap in the ceiling allowed light to filter in and the walls literally glittered.

Every inch of the cavern was covered in jagged spikes, each one holding a kyber crystal. A giant pillar in the middle was under direct sunlight, casting bright diamonds of light all around them. 

Amira’s hand found Cal’s forearm as she finally spoke, eyes still roaming the room, “Holy shit…”

“I knew they were here.” Cal exhaled, turning it into a breathy laugh as he walked forward, admiring the glistening walls.

Amira stayed frozen, however, her eyes suddenly glued to the back corner of the cavern.

_There it is._

She passed Cal quickly as she jogged to the crystal that was glowing brighter than all the others. The humming in her head finally became silent as she approached the outcropping.

Her hand raised to grab it, but she hesitated. 

“What’s wrong?” Cal asked quietly behind her.

“What if I’m not ready?”

“You are, ‘Mira.” He assured her.

But still she stood and stared down the tiny crystal in front of her.

“Give me your bracelet.” Cal began, pulling her out of her reverie. She turned to face him, pulling the arm with the bracelet out of his reach. 

“No.” She shook her head, refusing.

“‘Mira. I’ll be fine.” He laughed at her response.

“Uh-uh. The echo from my lightsaber left you with a headache for a week and gave you nightmares. I’m not putting you through that again Cal!” Amira raised her voice. 

Cal suddenly put his hand on her cheek, and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I have you with me. I will be okay. I promise.”

She allowed herself a moment to read his eyes. 

“When I first saw you wearing it I didn’t feel bad energy from it.” Amira’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sad, yes. But nothing torturous and angry like your saber.”

“You’ve already had to live through your master dying, Cal. I don’t want you to have to go through it again with mine.” She spoke quietly, eyes falling to the trinket. 

“This is your final wall to break down Amira. I want to help you. Let me help you.” He held out his un-gloved hand, waiting for her to give him the bracelet. 

Amira pulled if from her wrist and held it, “Can you show me?” The idea came to her suddenly, remembering how they meditated together. 

“I can try.” He smiled at her as he took her other hand and held it. They closed their eyes, establishing the force connection between them.

She gently lowered the bracelet into his palm. She expected him to tense like last time but he just tightened his hands around hers. 

Suddenly she was on Coruscant. 

_Inside a meditation room in the Jedi temple, soft yellow sunlight poured through a stained glass window._

_The ground was littered with the bodies of dead storm troopers._

_Her younger self kneeled next to a heavily wounded Togruta as she sat against a pillar. She saw blaster bolts in her chest and stomach, her forehead was bleeding, and her breathing was very shallow._

_“Master Nena, what do I do?” Amira whimpered, holding her master’s hands in hers._

_Nena smiled weakly as she tucked a lock of hair behind her padawans ear, “Run, little one. Through the vents until you find an ally. They will protect you.”_

_“I can’t leave you, Master!” Amira cried._

_“Yes you can. And you must. Live for me, my little flame. May the force be...with...you.” She closed her eyes and a moment later her hands went limp._

_Amira tried to reach out with the force but was met with nothing._

_Master Nena was like a mother to her. She had been with her since her first day on Coruscant. She had taught her everything she knew. Improved upon her natural skills and helped her refine her ways of the force._

_Now she was gone._

_The sound of approaching footsteps alerted her and she quickly sat up, wiping the tears from her face._

_She ducked into a nearby vent moments before another group of troopers entered the room._

Amira came to on the floor of the crystal cavern. Cal had her wrapped up in his arms as tears silently streamed down her face. 

She leaned into him as she attempted to calm down and sift through the new memories that now flooded her mind. 

They were silent for a while before he spoke.

“How did you get out?”

“I didn’t.” Amira breathed. “I ran into a group of trooper commanders and attempted to push them off a balcony.” She paused. “I killed two of them but then the other shot me and grabbed me, promptly knocked me out...I woke up in the Fortress Inquisitorius.”

“I will share a lesson I learned with you.” Cal began after letting her story sink in.

“Hm?” 

“There is nothing you could have done differently. Not to help save Master Nena, not to avoid getting captured. None of it was your fault either. You were a child...We both were.” He was wise beyond his years as he spoke, reliving his loss with her.

“What you did kept you alive. Anything else after that doesn’t matter now. It’s in the past.” He finished, smoothing her hair. 

Amira wiped her face and smiled at him, “Thank you, Cal.”

“Anytime.” He returned her smile and helped her stand. 

Her mind was heavy with loss and thought as she turned back to her kyber crystal. She compared who she was now to the scared little girl she used to be. 

Would Master Nena be disappointed in her if she knew what she’d done? Turning to the dark, letting the chaos control her for years...trying to kill her own kind.

**You survived, little flame. You are so strong.**

The crystal before her seemed to whisper to her as she reached for it.

Amira gently pulled the gem from its resting place, placing it in her palm. It resonated with her, sending warmth throughout her body.

**I am proud of you.**

Tears spilled over again as she heard her master’s voice in her head. “She never left me, I just had to find her again.” Amira breathed as she looked to Cal.

He smiled and held her hands in his, “They never leave, ‘Mira. They are always with us.” He closed her hand over the crystal and wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Are you ready to finish this?”

Amira sniffled and wiped her face again, exhaling loudly with determination, “Yes. I am.”

She sat cross legged and watched as Cal carefully disassembled her lightsaber. BD-1 stayed close to her, cuddling up against her and comforting her with gentle headbutts after her ordeal.

After a moment he removed the old crystal and lifted the weapon up to her, “Place it right in there, should be snug.” He pointed to the small opening between metal plates.

The new crystal fit perfectly.

It was a couple minutes before he had finished securing the gem and adding a few other cosmetic details she wanted. When he was done he held it up to her again and smirked, “Your weapon, m’lady.”

Amira grinned and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before hopping down and taking her saber from a very flustered Cal. 

She spun the hilt in her hands, adjusting to the new switches and balancing.

“What color do you think it will be?” She asked while gazing at it, she hesitated to activate it.

“No clue. But I guess we’ll see.” He chuckled, cheeks still pink. 

She took a steadying breath before pressing the button.

Bright purple light bathed the icy cavern and a moment later Amira laughed as she spun the saber with another flourish. 

“I heard somewhere that,” Cal strode up to her a grin on his face, “Purple, being the combination of blue and red, signifies a perfect balance between the light and dark.”

Amira was over the moon.

“I’m so incredibly proud of you. Just as your Master is, ‘Mira.”

She threw her arms around him in an excited hug and Cal laughed as he returned the affection, lifting her off the ground slightly. 

Amira pulled back, practically bouncing up and down with joy. She took his hand and dragged him back to the cave entrance, giggling, “Let’s go fuck up some imps!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and leaving kudos and comments! <3 It means a lot :')
> 
> I'm working on a whole new section of this story currently, so, a bunch more content is on the way! <3


	17. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira decides it's finally time. :)

It was quiet.

No wildlife, no people. 

Just falling snow.

Amira sat on a rock admiring the massive mountain range in front of her. Fog rose above a distant lake that reflected the snow covered forest. The drifting snowflakes beautifully accentuated the whole backdrop. 

She had already done her meditating so now she decided to just sit in silence, the cold wasn’t too distracting. 

A lot had happened in the months since she’d earned her new lightsaber. 

The crew had helped countless rebel groups fight back against the Empire. She had done more training, honing her skills with the force more than she had ever done in her days as an Inquisitor. 

Those days seemed so long ago, and they were. 

Amira had been with Cal and his crew for almost a year now and she doesn’t remember a happier or more fulfilling time in her whole life.

She had a family, everything was perfect.

“How long have you been out here?” Cal asked, appearing next to her. 

Amira jumped as he pulled her from her thoughts, “Fuck! Don’t do that...” He giggled as she gently shoved him away. 

“And...I don’t know.” She responded after a moment, looking back out at the landscape. “I kinda got lost in the view. The snow is beautiful.”

His nose was already red with the cold as he followed her gaze, “That it is. Mind if I join you?”

He motioned to the spot next to her and she nodded, scooting to allow him room. 

“Good meditation I assume?” Cal began as he sat cross legged next to her.

“Yeah.” She watched as a few flakes landed in his hair. “I’m glad we chose to restock here. It’s so peaceful.”

“Well it’ll be a lot less peaceful in town. It’s crawling with Imps.” He sighed, scratching his beard. 

“We’ve made it out of worse.” Amira optimistically reminded him. 

“That we have.” Cal laughed, putting his arm behind her and leaning against her, he was slightly shivering from the cold. 

Amira leaned in as well, cheeks becoming more red from the closeness of him. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes while she fought a battle inside her head. She decided to just go for it. 

“How long has it been since you saved me from that star destroyer, Cal?” Amira began quietly, she rested her head against his shoulder. 

“Hm. Not sure, it’s been a while...what, eight months or so?” She could feel him glance down at her. 

“Even before that you had chased after me for about three months.” Amira smiled.

“Almost a year, I hadn’t even realized.”

“Best ‘almost a year’ of my life.” She looked up at him briefly, his small smile melting away everything else around them for a moment.

Amira hesitated.

“I’m glad you found me. I know I’ve told you before but, really, I’m happy that I get to have you in my life.” She almost whispered. 

“Me too, ‘Mira.” He breathed into her hair.

She took a second to memorize his words and how he pulled her closer, he was so gentle with her in these moments. 

Ever since his psychometric vision with her lightsaber, her feelings for him had grown exponentially. She had comforted him many nights after that, pulling him back from the nightmares the weapon had caused. 

He would knock on the wall between their beds when he needed her and she would do the same when the darkness would stalk her own nightmares. 

Cal would soften around her, she saw it all the time. She knew he had feelings for her but wondered if he noticed her feelings for him. Either that or he didn’t mention them. It’s not like she hid them from him when they would meditate together. 

Since her return to the light, her emotions were stronger. She _couldn’t_ hide the feelings from him. 

_Just tell him before it eats you alive..._

“I...love you, Cal.” Amira spoke confidently, waiting for his reaction.

His chest rumbled with quiet laughter and she sat up and looked at him, a confused smile on her own face as their eyes met. 

“I know.” Cal tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been...thinking about that a lot too.” His blush deepened. 

“I don’t want to push you. I just needed you to know.” Amira assured him. She understood the inner struggles he faced.

“You’re not pushing me, ‘Mira. I’m just trying to figure out the whole relationship thing.” His face fell slightly. “I was raised in the Order and I know the teachings. But on the other hand…” He trailed off.

“On the other hand, the Order is gone and you don’t feel like you should fight your emotions anymore.” Amira finished for him.

“Exactly.” He nodded, taking her hand and staring at it in his. 

“When we were little, they had us memorize the Jedi code, _‘There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony.’_ ” She paused. “Then they expected a bunch of eight and nine year olds to understand it.”

They both quietly laughed.

“Of course we understand it now,” Amira continued, catching his green eyes. “But they don’t explain that with understanding emotions and feeling them, we gain more control. Even in my darkest time, my _emotions_ kept me alive.” She explained. “Through all the chaos and madness and...anger, I found little bits of peace in the fact that I wasn’t completely lost because I still _felt_ all those things.”

“The strength you possess to live through that still blows me away.” Cal comforted her, she could see him thinking.

Amira smiled but shrugged. “I’ve learned a lot growing up. And experiencing both sides like I have has opened my eyes.”

“To what?” Cal asked.

“Each side has its flaws. I’ve found a balance within myself and...and loving you has only given me peace and aided in my focus. _You_ guided me back and I’ve only gotten stronger with you since.” Her smile grew as she wove her fingers between his.

“Wise words.” He grinned, her heartfelt confession leaving him almost speechless.

“I don’t mean to speak like I’m ‘all knowing’. It’s just... _my_ experience. I know it’s different for you and everyone else that is connected with the force. I will not tell you how to follow your teachings, Cal.” Amira explained and he laughed at her again.

“I know ‘Mira. It’s okay, I understand.” He pulled her back down to lean against him and she cuddled up closer than before.

“Of course I have feelings for you as well.” Cal began, “But allow me to figure out where I stand before we take them further.” He softly kissed the top of her head and she grinned.

“Absolutely, Cal. I’m not goin’ anywhere. Take all the time you need.” Amira assured him.

A weight had lifted off of both their chests.

The pair didn’t move, they just sat together watching the snow fall and sky darken until they were summoned back to the Mantis, back to their next mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 Happy Valentine's Day ;)
> 
> Don't be afraid to leave comments!!
> 
> I have a whole new arc of the story in the works and I'm so looking forward to sharing it! <3


	18. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't quite go as planned...

Amira and Cal walked the streets of a bustling mountain side city. The snow wasn’t falling here like it was further up the mountain where they just were.

Now they were completely focused, their intimate conversation from earlier being pushed aside for the mission at hand. 

Get the few bags of supplies they needed and get out.

It would’ve been much easier if every inch of the streets weren’t flooded with Imperial troopers. 

Each Jedi had their hood up, hiding as much of their face as possible. They couldn’t be spotted here, not with the three star destroyers looming in the sky above. 

Amira was having a hard time controlling her nervousness, she hadn’t been this outnumbered since she escaped. The fact that Cal was also at risk didn’t help her focus. 

But she had no choice but to pull it together. 

“Go get the rest of the medical supplies.” Cal whispered to her. “I’ll take care of the last few things.”

“Wait!” Amira grabbed his hand before he turned away, “Is it a good idea to separate?”

“The faster we get everything, the faster we can leave.” He assured her, “Meet in the small shop at the edge of town when you’re done.” And before she could come up with a better plan his dark hood disappeared into the crowd.

A bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, “Fuck.”

Amira purchased their supplies without issue, smiling at the shopkeeper as she left. Tossing the bag of supplies across her chest she made her way to the rendezvous point, avoiding a group of drunken civilians and multiple solicitors. 

The small abandoned store was almost empty, no one else was inside or lingered nearby.

It was a few minutes before Cal entered, checking behind him as he shut the door.

“All good?” He asked, lowering his hood.

“Yeah. I got a few extra things just in case.” She nudged the bag on the floor next to her.

“Same. Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s. I’ve had a bad feeling since we stepped into town.” She quickly joined him, walking to the door in the back instead of the street side one.

Suddenly a wave of dread stopped her in her tracks and it seemed to hit Cal at the same time because he suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her.

They looked at each for a moment before they recognized a familiar sound, multiple incoming rockets.

The pair hit the floor seconds before the roof exploded above them. 

It was a moment before the ringing in Amira's ears subsided. Her body hurt, and she groaned as she opened her eyes to see dust floating in the air and the rocks and wood that once made up the ceiling no longer there...

She was pinned halfway under Cal from his attempt to cover her from the blast and also from the rocks that had landed on top of them. 

“Cal?” She croaked, trying to move. Amira brushed the hair out of his face to see him knocked out, but breathing. BD-1 beeped quietly as he emerged from a small pile of rocks next to her.

“Hey buds. You alright?” She smiled at the droid, reaching out for him with a wince, he beeped quietly. “Okay. Give me a second BD.” She gave up on trying to wiggle out from under everything and instead focused on moving the debris. 

The little droid quickly retreated back into the corner as the rocks on top of the pair began levitating away from them, Amira gritting her teeth together with the effort.

In a moment she could feel the weight on her chest lighten substantially and BD-1 quietly praised her as she finally crawled out from underneath Cal, the droid scanned the both of them.

Cal hadn’t stirred yet and she was starting to worry when their attackers would show up.

“Stim, bud.” She ordered anxiously, plunging it into Cal’s arm and waiting to see if he would move. 

No luck, he was out cold.

“Damn!” She cursed quietly to herself, she stood, wobbling for a moment before leaning down to turn him over.

He had blood trickling down from his forehead and nose. A surge of anger flowed through her, fueled by her urge to protect him.

_Control, Amira._

The footsteps approaching interrupted her. 

“BD. Hide! Call the Mantis. _Do not_ move until it’s safe, okay?” She looked to the little droid and he beeped quietly as he retreated under nearby debris. 

Amira looked between Cal and the half standing door in front of her. She didn’t have time to move or hide him and there was no way she was leaving him.

“Guess we’ll have to talk our way out of this.” She whispered to him. 

The footsteps stopped in front of the destroyed shop and a few approached the door, flinging it open.

Amira stood ready in front of Cal, lightsaber humming in hand.

“Lower your weapon!” One trooper commanded.

“No.” She replied sternly, deciding she would fight through all of them to keep Cal safe. 

A trooper commander stepped past her, aiming his blaster directly at Cal's unconscious head.

“ _Don’t you_ -!” Amira threatened with a growl, stepping forward to charge. Her attempt was cut short as all other blasters pointed at her own head.

Anger appeared again, filling her, it had a slight undertone that made her nauseous.

“Drop it.” The commander ordered smugly, “Or I kill him.”

She wasn’t risking his bluff and had no choice but to lower her weapon.

“Toss it on the floor, Jedi.” A nearby trooper ordered.

Her lightsaber landed with a loud clatter in the tense silence as she glared daggers at the Commander.

“What do you want?” Amira asked, raising her empty hands.

“We were looking for him actually. But two Jedi are always better than one.” She could hear the commander smiling. “Grab both of them.” He ordered quickly.

_No...I can’t let Cal get captured..._

“Wait!” Amira spoke quickly, stopping them. Desperation joined her growing anger, “Just take me. Leave him be. I used to be an Inquisitor. You know how much Vader would _love_ to hear of my capture? You would be well rewarded, Commander....”

“I don’t care what you used to be.” The trooper replied plainly.

“You will take me instead of him.” Amira began firmly, channeling the force. “You will forget he’s here, and all of you will leave town.”

“Excuse me?” The trooper asked, approaching her.

She remained calm now, channeling away some of the anger and willing the force to persuade him and everyone else in the room. “You will take me instead of him. You will forget he’s here and then all of you will leave town.”

There was a moment of silence, only interrupted by the pounding of her own heart.

_Please, please work…_

“We will take you instead of him.” The trooper commander began, his voice sure. “We will forget he is here and we will leave town.” The rest of them in the room nodded in agreement. 

Amira sighed with relief as two of them cuffed her and seemed to move about the room like Cal wasn’t there anymore. 

_Thank heavens…_

Before they ushered her out of the shop, she looked at Cal one last time, wishing she didn’t have to leave him. 

As they led her down the street towards a convoy of ships Amira looked back at the building, was that a flash of bright green? Merrin’s magick?

There it was again...It was Merrin!

Her form appeared peeking out from behind a wall, she nodded once and Amira smiled at her, mouthing a ‘thank you’.

Merrin would keep Cal safe and stay with him until they could leave.

A heavy sadness filled Amira, she hated leaving him behind, leaving her family behind. 

But she would rather it be her than anyone else. 

“Let’s go, Jedi.” A trooper barked at her, pulling her further down the street, the mangled shop leaving her view. At their makeshift command center he tossed her onto the snowy ground.

“What will you do with me?” Amira questioned with a wince, her body was still sore from the explosion.

“We’re gathering the troops and then we leave. You will be deposited on Lord Vader’s destroyer.”

It was like a rock was suddenly dropped into her stomach.

Her only focus before was to keep Cal safe, she hadn’t thought ahead to her _own_ escape. 

Amira analyzed the ships in front of her.

Basic transports, nothing she couldn’t pilot herself. 

But she had to get onto one of them and take care of everyone on board before they left the atmosphere of the planet. 

Then she would have to get away from the other six ships before they landed on the star destroyer. She briefly smiled to herself.

_Difficult. But not impossible..._

It was a few minutes before they began loading into the transports. She remained quiet as she observed and planned. There were about 10 troopers to one transport, plus two more pilots already inside. 

_Easy, kind of...just gotta overwhelm them..._

The trooper guarding her had her saber attached to his belt. 

“Drop the lightsaber.” She whispered, channeling the force again.

“I will drop the lightsaber.” The trooper repeated.

She smirked as it fell in the snow next to her bound hands, she quickly pushed it up into her sleeve.

Moments later she was pulled up and into a transport. She waited patiently until everyone was situated.

The ship shuddered and ascended quickly, she moved without much thought, letting the force take over her senses.

Amira charged with a kick, throwing her arms up over her head and in front of her with one swift movement.

She let her lightsaber fall out of her sleeve and activated it as it fell, feeling it melt through the center of the cuffs before it landed on the ground.

While quickly dodging blaster fire she rolled and picked up her weapon, turning and slicing three torsos simultaneously.

She used the force surrounding her, pulling more troopers towards her before she activated her dual blade and threw her saber in a circle around her.

Four more bodies landed with loud thuds.

After easily catching her lightsaber she looked up at the two trooper commanders now slowly backing away from her. 

She charged with a snarl, parrying ones opening hit with ease before kicking them and slicing their falling body.

The ship shuddered again, turbulence from entering the atmosphere.

Amira turned and faced the last commander, a smirk on her face as she pulled him to her, holding him in the air by his throat. The coloring on his shoulder piece told her he was the same asshole who pointed his blaster at Cal...

“Here’s the thing about threatening Jedi,” She informed him, enjoying his writhing, sputtering form. “You don’t get to survive.”

“I’m sor-” He began choking, but was cut off by her lightsaber plunging through his chest.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” She looked down at the body with disgust.

Amira took a moment to remind herself to feel balance, she had been tipping into slightly dangerous territory.

Suddenly the ship was turning, and she quickly hit the button to get into the cockpit.

“End of flight, boys!” Amira yelled. She slammed their heads together and watched them sink to the floor, both knocked out.

She quickly stepped over one of them to the control screen, cancelling the current flight path.

“T-64657, What’s going on over there?” The on board comm device spoke. “Transport 64657, Come in!”

Amira quickly shut the voice up by submerging her blade into the console, fanning it as it began sparking and smoking, “Oops.”

She pulled the unconscious pilot out of the main seat and buckled in, and not a moment too soon blaster fire began hitting the transport. 

Pulling up the ship she avoided most of the damage, but now she had to figure out where she was going. 

There’s no way she can safely go back down to the planet she just left, and she can’t go to Bogano without the risk of being followed. 

_The tracker! Kill the tracker!_

“Aahhh...Where is it…?” She mumbled to herself, voice trembling with adrenaline. She was looking back and forth between the plethora of switches and buttons above her and flying the ship while avoiding enemy fire.

One small screen had the transport symbol amid a series of lines, she’d seen a similar emblem on the Mantis. 

She quickly activated her saber again and forced it through the small panel and screen above her.

“Tracking device destroyed. Please contact a hangar leader for repair.” A mechanical voice responded.

“No.” She pushed a nearby button to mute the on board assistance, “I will not contact a hangar leader for repair.” She mocked. 

Amira quickly chose a random planet in a nearby system using the navigator, and typed in its coordinates. The ship hummed as she prepared to make the jump. 

The Mantis crew hadn’t been there before and she would be able to lose any trackers, if she had them, without putting her family at risk. 

The stars began to blur into lines as she avoided the last of the blaster fire. 

Only once she was a few minutes into traveling did she finally exhale with relief. 

Cal was safe, and she was safe. But her mind was slowly turning against her. 

_What have I done?_

She attempted to comfort herself by explaining that leaving him behind was the only way to protect him and keep them both alive.

Merrin was there with Cal.

There was no way she would live through another meeting with Vader if she had been captured. 

This was the only smart thing to do.

_I’ll be with him again, just...later. I gotta give the Empire time to forget this ever happened..._

Amira piled the bodies into the escape pod and quickly launched it into space, hoping they ended up far away from anywhere.

When she took her seat in the cockpit again she ran her fingers through her hair and fought back the growing lump in her throat, she was completely alone for the first time in what seemed like forever. 

_This will be good for me. Force me to live without Cal and his constant support. I’ve got to be able to survive without him...It gives him time to think too. He wanted time to think so...this, this all works out...Right?_

Not a few hours ago she had just confessed to him...now she had to live without him for who knows how long…

The ship exited hyperspace and Amira looked up and gasped.

She was approaching a small planet but it was accompanied by it’s home star that was tucked into a massive nebula behind it.

The ship was bathed in soft pink and orange, there were heavier patches of interstellar clouds throughout that shone bright with young, growing stars.

Amira quickly lifted her sleeve, staring at the picture that had been tattooed on her arm for years now. She looked back out at the beautiful formation. 

They were identical. 

It was the same nebula she had passed through as a girl, when she first left for Coruscant.

She was stunned into silence.

A random set of coordinates she just picked led her back to a place she thought she’d never see again. 

The meaning behind finding this nebula _right now_ was unknown to her, but she knew it wasn’t a coincidence. 

Was this her home world?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New story arch starts now! Thank you for reading <3


	19. Cal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is written from Cal's perspective! Let's see how he's doing after the ambush.

When Cal woke the only thing he could think of was the intense pounding in his head.

_Ow. What happened?_

He squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light coming through the massive hole where the ceiling used to be.

With a groan he lifted his head and looked around, rocks and debris lay around him in a rough circle.

“Don’t move yet Cal, I’m guessing most of the ceiling landed on your head.” Merrin’s voice came from beside him but she was nowhere to be seen.

Right on queue as he attempted to sit up dizziness overwhelmed him and he had to quickly support himself.

BD-1 appeared from the rubble, scanning him and beeping his worries.

“I’ll be alright bud...w-where’s ‘Mira?”

The last thing he remembered was trying to protect her from the blast, the sun was higher in the sky when that happened…

“She’s...gone.” Merrin replied as her body appeared with a green glow, her voice was sad. 

“What do you mean gone…?” He decided to sit up slowly now, taking and using a stim from BD.

“I don’t know what happened...We got a distress call from BD at the ship and Cere sent me to help. When I got here Amira had been...captured.”

Dread filled Cal, if she had been taken and sent back to Vader...she wouldn’t survive. 

“She saw me as they took her away and I let her know I would stay here with you...the last time I saw her she was headed toward the trooper command down the street.” Merrin finished, helping Cal stand. 

“We gotta go check.” Cal made his way to the destroyed door, checking for his weapon and running his hand through his hair. 

_Calm down...I’m sure she’s fine. She won’t go down that easy._

“Beeeep! Trill-wooooo.” BD-1 interrupted, grabbing a hold of his pant leg.

“You recorded it?!” The Jedi was suddenly thankful and terrified of what he might see. “Play it BD.”

Cal and Merrin exchanged worried glances as the blue hologram filled the room.

Amira’s frantic voice echoed, “BD. Hide! Call the Mantis. _Do not_ move until it’s safe okay?”

The sound of too many sets of footsteps made her look between Cal’s passed out body on the floor and the door.

“Guess we’ll have to talk our way out of this.” She whispered to herself? Or to Cal?

“She didn’t...there’s no way…” Cal said incredulously as he watched the hologram of Amira ready her saber. He knew what was coming, he was just unsure of how she actually pulled it off, a small smirk settled on his lips.

_I should really stop being surprised by her and just start expecting her to achieve something crazy..._

The door opened in the hologram and Amira stood her ground until one of the Commanders threatened his life. 

The way her voice deepened with her growl and how she instinctively moved to protect him reminded Cal of when he first met her, back when she was an Inquisitor.

It was the first time he’d seen her almost lose herself since. If she wasn’t as strong with the light, Cal was sure she would’ve destroyed that whole company with...unsettling ease. 

But she stayed in control, dropping her weapon and demanding an explanation.

“We were looking for him actually, but two Jedi is always better than one. Grab both of them.” The commander ordered, but Amira stepped forward.

“Wait! Just take me. Leave him be. I used to be an Inquisitor. You know how much Vader would _love_ to hear of my capture? You would be well rewarded, Commander.” 

Something within Cal stirred at the desperation in her voice, she was doing anything to prevent his capture. It upset him to see her offer herself like this.

Cal watched as her body language suddenly changed, her voice became calm and he could almost feel the force channeling through her just by watching the recording.

“You will take me instead of him. You will forget he’s here and you will all leave town.” Desperation had been replaced with a firm demand.

“What is she doing?” Merrin asked, watching Amira curiously.

Cal smiled, “She’s using the force to manipulate their minds.”

“Excuse me?” The commander challenged her within the projection.

Amira repeated herself with clarity and confidence, and after a moment they all listened.

Cal laughed quietly as the troopers suddenly forgot his body was there, though a flicker of anger passed through him as he watched Amira get cuffed and dragged from the building.

Before she left though she turned and winked in BD’s direction, knowing that this message would be left behind for him to see, then the hologram ended.

“It worked, she actually did it.” Cal said quietly, his head snapped up suddenly, “Wait. Did _all_ the troopers leave?”

“I haven’t gone to check, but I heard a whole convoy of ships leave awhile ago.” Merrin replied. 

The two quickly exited the building and stumbled into the street, looking up and down it.

“Did she clear out every single trooper in town with a single sentence?” Merrin spoke quietly, having trouble believing it, though the physical evidence was clear.

“She sure did.” Cal whispered. “We gotta check the camp.” He continued quickly, putting BD on his back and walking to the end of the street. 

They found nothing but hundreds of footsteps in the snow and patches of burnt grass where the transport ships took off.

_Did she escape?_

Everything was suddenly overwhelming for him. He sensed the small echo of energy Amira had left behind, she had been deep in thought and planning. 

Cal was simultaneously proud and worried. She managed to save him, but did she manage to save herself?

He was tense as he tried to sense her life force without luck. “Let’s get back to the Mantis...I need to meditate…”

Cal needed to focus his mind and try to reach out to her. He needed something, anything, to tell him if ‘Mira was still alive.

* * *

Cal was holding a small pair of gloves in his hand as he kneeled to meditate. He didn’t know how far away Amira was so hopefully using something imbued with her energy would aid in reaching out to her.

The echoes he saw when he picked up the gloves made him smile, it was Amira fighting and training. 

He could feel her focus and glimpsed that grin he had seen plenty of times before, the one where you could see how much she was enjoying herself during battle.

He searched for that smile now, reaching through the system to find her presence.

A nebula appeared before him, bright pink and orange. 

Cal was unsure of why he was seeing this but decided to focus on it.

Inside the nebula lie a small planet, and he suddenly felt a heartbeat. It wasn’t his own, but ‘Mira’s. Relief flooded through him.

_She’s alive!_

He reached out more, like he was looking for her hand to hold.

_Come back ‘Mira. We’re safe._

Cal sent the message across the stars, willing her to hear him.

A familiar voice then echoed through his head, ‘ **Not yet. Wait for me.** ’

Their bond was abruptly cut short, but a feeling of longing lingered when he opened his eyes.

He could feel how she felt, she wanted to come home, but couldn’t?

After their intimate moment that morning, Cal was unsure on so many fronts. 

_Maybe it’d be good to get some distance from her. Maybe it’ll help me figure out what I want._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


	20. Torvo Vanas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In her refuge, Amira runs into someone unexpected.

After a shaky landing, Amira stepped out into the early evening sunlight onto a planet she didn’t even know the name of, but knew she was somehow connected too. 

A funny feeling immediately settled in her gut. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but she instantly knew this planet was...hiding something. 

The town she found was relatively large, streets filled with markets, bars, inns, and restaurants. The outskirts of town were civilian housing with a large watchtower looking building that could see the entire city. 

At least she wouldn’t have any issues finding more supplies or a place to lay low.

_I’ve got to stay, what, a week? Then I can go home?_

_...I can survive a week…_

Amira set out to find a few extra pairs of clothes and a place to stay.

The contrast between her long black cloak and bright ginger braid only drew a few looks as she walked down the streets, though a few men seemed to look her up and down as she passed.

She had always been with Cal so she never noticed prying eyes, but now she was very alone and took comfort in her lightsaber hidden on her back.

So she continued.

As she turned a corner, the glimpse of green and white markings caught her eye. A Togruta traveler with long head tails hanging out of his hood.

He looked at her as they passed, but his gaze was surprised and...almost familiar. 

Amira quickly looked down and picked up the pace in the direction she was heading.

_He looked like he knew me...But...I don’t know him…_

Every inn she passed was more expensive and her emergency coin purse was almost useless. 

As she looked at prices she saw the same traveler again out of the corner of her eye, he was following her? 

Without looking up she reached out within the energy around her, sensing each person that passed.

His energy was different, he was force sensitive, and quite strong within it as well.

She didn’t know whether to avoid, or approach.

Maybe he could help.

_Yeah and maybe he’s a nutcase like Malicos. Remember what Merrin and Cal warned you about…_

Amira decided to continue her walking, but kept an eye on her follower.

After a while though, her curiosity piqued, this guy wasn’t stopping.

She took a sharp right and ducked beneath some crates, leaving his view and doubling back behind him. 

Now she followed him, watching him lower his hood and smile at a shopkeeper.

He was older and had a metal headpiece that matched his robes, his face looked kind.

She decided to walk up next to him as he finished his conversation.

“Why are you following me?” She questioned him firmly, noticing his unsurprised look.

“You looked familiar. It took me a minute to figure it out where’d I’d seen you before, but I wouldn’t forget those eyes.” He looked at her cooly, slight wrinkles sat around his own eyes and mouth.

It had been a while since anyone had mentioned her heterochromic eyes, people seemed to avoid mentioning them. She felt a moment of longing as she remembered how Cal had said he admired her eyes. 

She quickly pushed the thought away and focused on the traveler. “I...I don’t know you.” 

“You don’t _remember_ me.” He corrected her, a smug smile on his face. 

Confusion swept through her and the traveler laughed at her stupefied reaction.

“Follow me,” He continued, “The main street isn’t the safest for this conversation.”

_Huh…?_

He had her turn left down a quiet, empty alley that deposited them in front of an abandoned boarded up building.

She turned to face him, resting a hand behind her back just in case.

The traveler smiled again, “You won’t need your weapon, padawan, as long as I won’t need mine.”

_Padawan? How did he know?_

He reached into a pocket in his robes, and she glimpsed a lightsaber.

Her eyes narrowed, “Fair enough.”

“My name is Torvo Vanas. I used to be a Jedi Master in Coruscant.” He explained plainly.

Now her eyes widened, it made sense.

“The last time I saw you, you were only about 14 years old.” He smiled.

“I don’t even remember _being_ 14.” She breathed.

Torvo laughed quietly.

“Okay. Well, I'm Amira Moross.” She ran her fingers through her loose bangs as she introduced herself.

“Hello Amira.” Torvo looked increasingly amused. 

“Call me ‘Mira.” She smiled.

He hesitated, “I sense darkness in you, ‘Mira.”

“Ha.” She began, slight bitterness in her voice. “Yeah, that happens when you survive being an Inquisitor for the Empire for six years.”

“Aah. I see.” He looked concerned.

“Fuck that shit though. I’m glad I’m finally free of that circle of hell.

She watched the amusement return to his face.

Amira sighed and sat on a nearby step, “I’ve had a really shitty day… I survived an ambush, got captured by some asshole stormtroopers, had to leave my bleeding, unconscious boyfriend behind to save him, and, _once again_ , narrowly escaped Darth Vader and certain death.”

She ran her hands down her face, “I’m working on calming down. I--Today was the closest I’ve been in almost a year to totally losing my shit…”

“No need to explain yourself.” Torvo began quietly, he was smiling at her. “We face the darkness everyday and it sounds like today was especially challenging for you. You didn’t lose control and that’s all that matters.”

He spoke like Cere, knowledgeable and understanding.

She looked up at him, and grinned with apology. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to throw all that at’cha at once…”

Torvo laughed loudly, “No worries, ‘Mira. I’m glad the force brought us together today...funny how that happens.”

“You have no idea…” Amira murmured more to herself, glancing down at her sleeve and the tattoo hiding behind it.

“Come.” He began. “You can stay at my home while you wait for your...situation to pass.”

He offered a hand to help her stand and she obliged.

“A-are you sure...I don’t mean to be a burden…”

“I insist.” His light blue eyes were filled with kindness.

“Okay.” Amira smiled.

They walked in silence for a moment, “So,” Torvo began, a sly look on his face, “Tell me about this bleeding, unconscious, boyfriend you left behind.”’

All the color immediately left Amira’s face except her cheeks which were now bright pink…

“Did I...say...boyfriend?” She squeaked.

_Oh my god I called Cal my boyfriend..._

Torvo smirked, “You did. But I’m guessing that’s not accurate?”

Amira laughed awkwardly and cleared her throat, “No...no. Well, I mean...It’s...complicated…” She corrected.

“I understand.” He replied. “I have been there myself.”

“Really?” Surprise painted her face as they made their way to the outer edge of town.

“Yes.” He didn’t go into detail, and she didn’t press him to do so.

Amira continued, moving the conversation off of him, “I know Cal is safe. I just...wish I didn’t have to be away for so long. The Empire is looking for him too and I’m not sure how long my mind trick will work…”

“Mind manipulation doesn’t wear off, whatever you convinced those troopers to do will not be reversed.” Torvo informed.

“Oh. Good to know.” She sighed, looking up at small kids playing in the street as they passed.

“Is he a Jedi as well?” He asked.

“Yeah. Cal saved me from the Inquisition and helped me recover.” Her voice softened as she spoke of him.

“He sounds like a keeper.” Torvo smiled.

“That’s what I thought.” Amira giggled.

The Jedi now approached the large watchtower she had seen as she landed, “Wait. Is this your house?”

Torvo unlocked the door with a wave of his hand, “Yes it is.”

“Whoa…” Amira breathed as she stepped inside. The home was two levels high and the walls were made of ancient stone. She could see the second level from the ground floor and saw the upper walls covered in books with doors that led to the bedrooms.

In the center of the home sat a massively tall telescope. It’s top lens reached the upper glass ceiling, and you could gaze into the nebula above from the first floor. 

A small kitchen and living room lay nestled next to a cozy fireplace and desk, more books lay strewn about. Pops of green potted plants accentuated the warm colors of the walls.

Calm washed over her, the home itself being the source.

“It’s beautiful.” She complimented as she removed her cloak and bag.

“Thank you. It’s been my fortress since the Purge. It allows me to study and practice at my leisure without being detected.” Torvo hung up his outer robes on a nearby hook and made his way to the kitchen, “Tea?”

“Yes please.” Amira smiled, being reminded of Cere again. She wandered, looking at the spines of the books and skimming his written notes.

“Sugar?” He asked from across the room.

“Honey instead, if you have it.” She smiled, making his way towards him.

“Of course.”

He stirred their tea, then handed her a mug and made his way over to a pair of very comfortable looking chairs near the warm embers of the fireplace. He gestured for her to join him.

“Sit with me, ‘Mira. Tell me about yourself.”

“What do you wanna know?” She wondered, getting comfortable.

“Everything.”

Amira hesitated but only for a second. Something inside her told her she could trust Torvo, even though she just met him.

So she told him everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torvo is one of my friend's Jedi OC's! You can find him on Twitter @Warcry_Midori !
> 
> I don't post story updates on Twitter but you can find me @angie_noel !
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'm having a bit of writers block but I'll do my best to get my brain going! <3


	21. Downtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira reaches out to Cal and gets comfortable in her new temporary home.
> 
> (EDIT: I accidentally published this chapter twice! It has been fixed! Continue onto the next chapter as normal! I do apologize for any confusion!)

Amira woke the next morning in an unfamiliar bedroom.

It took a moment to remember what had happened. The ambush, leaving Cal, escaping capture.

Torvo and her spoke late into the night. He wished to know of her time with the Inquisition, Darth Vader, the rising threat of the Empire. But also of her journey of healing and how Cal helped her. He was particularly interested in his psychometry.

Amira learned a lot about Torvo as well, his time since the purge and his life and training as a gray Jedi.

Something about allowing her previous, darker practices to work in tandem with her new skills in the light interested her. 

Torvo explained it as doing what he must to keep the balance. There was no good without evil but you couldn’t allow evil to flourish. Passion, yet emotion. Serenity, yet peace. Chaos, yet order. There was no dark and light, there was only one's _intentions_ and the force. 

Looking back on how she’d been training and growing, she was already practicing this way. Using the form she learned as an Inquisitor, keeping her combat style lethal and menacing while exercising control over her power.

A perfect balance of light and dark. 

She sat up, looking around the room. It was mostly plain except for the bed and bookshelf. Dark curtains covered half the window, cutting off the pink and orange glowing from the nebula above. 

Amira changed into a fresh set of clothes and wandered out into the upper hallway, peering down over the railing to the first floor and seeing it empty.

She silently padded down the stairs and sat in front of the fireplace to meditate, the urge to check on Cal had been nagging at her.

Her fingers met the stone of the floor as she closed her eyes, reaching into the ground for the energy contained in the planet.

The strange feeling in her stomach returned as she focused on the force around her.

There was suffering here. Enlightenment turned terrifying and sad, some sort of test…?

Instead of diving deeper into the mystery she decided to ask Torvo about it, he’d been here for years so he probably knew more.

For now she focused on Cal. His green eyes, the way he ran his fingers through his hair, how it felt to be held by him, his lips on her forehead.

Suddenly he was there, their normal connection was much weaker, but she felt his consciousness. She felt his relief and worry. His voice echoed in her mind, and she smiled.

**Come back ‘Mira. We’re safe.**

But she couldn’t, there was too much here to discover. The coincidence of the tattoo, meeting Torvo, the strange energy around the planet.

He may be safe now, but she couldn’t risk trying to leave. 

_Not yet, wait for me._

Cal’s worry grew and she wished she could explain, but the distance between them made it impossible to tell him through their bond. 

She missed him, badly. Her dreams consisted of his smile and she longed to be with him again but for now he would have to wait--

A sudden noise in the kitchen pulled her from their connection and when she turned she saw a flustered Torvo.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He meekly smiled. 

Amira tried to keep the disappointment off her face, “Oh no, you’re okay. Just my daily meditations.” She stood and joined him in the kitchen, helping him with their breakfast. 

After they ate she wandered the room, pruning a few of the potted plants as Torvo leaned over a book. She enjoyed the little bits of energy each leaf or flower held, it felt so pure.

Speaking of…

“Torvo?”

“Yes?” He looked up from his book.

“I’ve felt this strange energy surrounding the planet since I got here. When I focused on it earlier it felt...dangerous. Almost like some sort of test. Do you know what that is?”

He looked impressed with her, “Well, it sounds like you’ve already got most of it figured out.”

Again, his words confused her.

“How?”

“It is a test.” He confirmed her feelings as he saved his spot in his current book. “This planet is sacred to old Jedi, dating back to the early republic era. There’s an old Temple south of here, supposedly shows you what you fear most.”

“That’s not menacing at all.” Amira spoke. “Have you gone there before?” She sat in the chair across from him.

“I have. But I didn’t venture all the way inside. You’ve got these uneasy feelings here? Imagine standing in front of the place...I was quickly overwhelmed.”

Amira’s worry grew. A Jedi Master wasn’t comfortable going there, but the urge to visit herself had already wormed its way into her mind.

“You feel a pull to visit don’t you.” Torvo smirked, sensing her intentions.

“I’m not sure why. Especially after learning that a well trained Jed Master doesn’t enjoy going near the place.” She sighed to herself, “What’s drawing me there…?”

“You have more experience with the darker side of the force, sure the temple makes me uncomfortable, but maybe your extra training will assist you.” He suggested. 

_What he means is you’re already more accustomed to pain, torture, discomfort and the like…_

“Maybe…” She murmured. 

“If you wish to visit, I will accompany you.” Torvo began, throwing Amira off guard.

“No, no, no! You absolutely _don’t_ have to do th--”

“I do not know what lies inside. If you make it to that point, I would rather you not be alone.” He firmly interrupted, leaving no room for argument.

His natural instinct to protect had trickled out between his words.

She blinked but immediately softened. In their short time together he had already earned her trust and respect.

“Okay.” Amira smiled. “But not today.” She continued, “I’m in no rush.”

“Whenever you wish.” He returned her smile, opening his book once more.

A few moments of silence pass and she feels herself getting suddenly antsy.

“Do you have anywhere I could practice for a while?”

He looked up at her with a smirk.

“I’m itching to get moving.”

Torvo closed his book once more and stood, “I do.” He made his way towards the right side of the fireplace. “Care if I join you?” He pulled his lightsaber that was resting on the nearby desk to him with a grin. 

Amira raised her eyebrows, pulling her own lightsaber to her from its resting place in the second floor bedroom, expertly spinning the hilt in her grasp when it arrived, “Can you keep up...old man?”

The Jedi laughed loudly at her teasing, “That’s fair. But be careful what you assume, padawan.” He looked behind her and raised his hand. Amira heard the telescope moving ever so slightly and she turned to watch it angle away from them before stopping. 

After a quiet click, the stone wall behind Torvo became a door, separating from the rest of the wall, revealing stairs that led down.

Amira’s jaw dropped and she quickly followed him down the well lit steps, gasping as it opened up to a large, bright underground room. It was big enough for multiple people to spar in, a few practice droids sat on a nearby table and faint burn marks littered the stone floor.

“You have a secret training room only accessible through some hidden puzzle entrance...This is so cool!!” She squealed as she took a few steps towards the center of the room. 

Torvo grinned, and quickly took her attention, “Show me how the Inquisitors battle, ‘Mira.” He took a defensive stance and activated his saber, bright green filled the space around him.

Amira suddenly realized she was probably about to be taken back to school by the Jedi Master. 

Still, the challenge made her grin and she activated her saber with a flourish, “Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


	22. The Temple of Ruin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira finally faces the Temple that had been calling her, unfortunately she wasn't prepared for what lay inside.

She felt sick.

Each step towards the temple had been worse than the previous, and it was only just coming into view.

Next to her, Torvo was breathing heavily, fighting back the unease himself. 

But they continued.

The face of the temple was similar to the one on Ilum, but much smaller. Two statues framed the door, weathered by the climate.

The pull Amira felt had grown exponentially stronger as they ascended the stone steps and faced the door.

Before she could ask how to get inside the doors opened on their own, revealing a dark hallway.

Torvo and her exchanged looks, “You don’t have to come inside.” She reminded him.

“Something tells me I must.” He explained, worry filled his eyes.

_Well that can’t be good…_

Emotions began bombarding her as she stepped inside. 

Joy. Enlightenment. Power. Betrayal. Fear. Despair. Chaos. Anger...

_So much anger._

“Are you...sure this is a Jedi temple?” She breathed, voice echoing in the hallway.

“Yes.” Torvo answered. “At least it used to be.”

“It may have been before. But what resides here now...is nothing the Jedi ever stood for.” Amira was confident.

_This is a bad idea..._

They reached another door, it seemed to be slightly glowing.

Her palm met the stone without thought and her arm went numb at the contact, she quickly pulled away and regained feeling.

“What the hell was that…?” Her anxiety was rising and she had to remind herself to breathe.

“I think that door requires a small amount of life essence to be opened.” Torvo explained, remembering his own experience.

The stone began to quietly rumble and lifted upwards, revealing a large circular room.

Amira is instantly reminded of the vault on Bogano. The domed ceiling, the few inches of water on the floor. Except here the water was completely still and somehow perfectly reflected the nebula above. 

As she stepped forward it looked as though she was walking in the nebula itself, sending ripples out from each step she took. 

It was so beautiful it took her breath away.

She looked up and saw a mirror on the wall. It was aged and dirty, but she remembered what Cal had told her about his experience in the vault on Bogano.

Amira unclipped her lightsaber and handed it to Torvo behind her who looked at her curiously, “Can you hold onto it for me.” She breathed.

_Just in case._

He nodded once, fastening it to his own belt as she stepped closer to the mirror.

Her image was warped and blurred, but changed as she came within reach of the glass.

As she lifted her arm she noticed she was shaking. 

After a steadying breath her fingertips made contact with the cool glass. 

Amira’s whole body tensed and she inhaled sharply through her teeth, her eyes clamping shut. Torvo quickly stepped forward, arms ready to catch her if she fell.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, her breathing was jagged.

Visions appeared and reappeared quickly, dozens of them, giving her no time to process one before the other began. She could only sense the intense emotions they were filled with.

Joy and happiness that quickly turned to despair and longing. Power flooded through her as she felt overwhelming chaos and hatred.

It was like she was in the middle of a raging storm.

Then suddenly she was in the torture room on Darth Vader’s ship. Except this time she was the one in control.

**Her black Inquisitor robes had reappeared and her once beautiful multicolored eyes had been replaced with deep yellow iris’.**

**This was not Amira anymore.**

**Across from her, Cal lay strapped into the chair. His face was sunken, he was thin and starved and bleeding from his forehead.**

**“Please…” He cried, “Amira, come back to me.”**

**“Amira is dead.” The Inquisitor growled.**

**Cal’s head fell forward, exhausted from the torture.**

**“Give in, my love. Stay by my side forever, conquer the galaxy with me.” She spoke seductively now, drawing him in with her voice.**

**His green eyes met her yellow ones, and she could see he was almost broken.**

**The Inquisitor undid his bindings and gently cradled him on the floor. “Will you please join me, Cal?” She whispered, brushing her gloved fingers through his hair.**

**The Jedi’s hand lifted to caress her face, tears falling down his cheeks as he spoke, “Never.”**

**Something inside her snapped and she activated and plunged her lightsaber through his chest.**

**Cal yelled in pain and looked up to the woman he once loved, betrayal in his eyes as he slipped away.**

Amira was suddenly gasping for air. All of the visions she had seen were now clear and ingrained into her mind.

With a loud cry the glass underneath her hands shattered, slicing into her palms, and she sunk to the floor, her desperate gasps turning into sobs.

Torvo was suddenly behind her, and he wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from injuring herself. He was quietly comforting her, hushing her cries and reminding her to breathe as the visions replayed in her head.

Each one was more terrible than the last. 

The walls Amira had put up to keep the pain and hurt at bay were washed away by the torrent of visions and she felt pure anguish in every nerve of her body, it was like something was trying to rip her still beating heart out of her chest. 

For a moment, she wished for death. 

“I can’t…” She sobbed, “Make it stop! _Please make it stop!_ ”

Her bloody hands tried to claw at her chest but Torvo stopped her, trying his best to create an aura of calm in the desolate cavern.

“He’s gone...I killed him…” Amira cried.

“Cal is alive, ‘Mira. You saved him from capture. He’s waiting for your return...” Torvo soothed, though he was now sure of what type of anguish she had been shown.

In the week that he’d gotten to know the young Jedi, Torvo had grown quite fond of her, seeing her experience this made his chest ache.

“It hurts, Torvo…” Amira whispered, the sobs now quieting. She was beginning to curl in on herself, the weight of the visions crushing her.

“I am here with you.” He comforted, softly rubbing her hair as he pulled her to his chest. “Shhh. I’m right here.”

Amira cried into his robes, desperate to feel anything but the wave of agony trying to take her away.

Coming here was a terrible mistake. 

She heard him quietly curse whatever or whoever brought such corruption to this place.

Without another word Torvo stood and gently carried her out of the temple, his mere thoughts forced the doors to angrily slam shut behind them.


	23. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira faces the visions with Torvo's help.

A fire crackled in the dark living room, throwing shadows across the bookshelves.

Amira sat and stared at the wall. Occasionally, fresh tears would silently fall over the dried streaks on her cheeks. She hadn’t spoken or moved since their return from the temple.

Blood had dried down her arms and now Torvo was carefully pulling small pieces of glass out of her palms with tweezers.

She tried to not wince as the shards were pulled from her skin, fearing any movement would break down the walls she had immediately started to build in her mind.

He wiped away the blood on her arms with a small sponge before dunking her hands in a bowl of warm water, Amira hissed in pain as she choked back more tears. 

Now he moved to sterilize the cuts, testing her pain tolerance again as he gently swabbed on the ointment. 

“Alright, I’m going to wrap your palms up now.” Torvo quietly warned as he patted her dry, being extra careful as he spun the gauze around her hands. 

As he finished, he looked up at her eyes. Not only could he see it, but he could feel how broken she now was. It was a completely different person from the young woman he met a week ago.

“Tell me what you saw.” He spoke quietly. 

Amira silently refused, shaking her head, eyes shutting tightly.

“So you’re going to just force this experience away, suppressing it in your consciousness in hopes of never having to see the visions again?” Torvo asked quietly. “Build a wall up around it and keep it locked away?”

The look she gave him was haunting.

“You cannot hide from them, Amira.” He gently held her hands, “You must face them, you must learn from them.”

“I can’t.” Her voice cracked.

“Yes you can. I will not allow you to let these visions eat you from the inside out. Because if you don’t acknowledge them, you will eventually succumb to them.” Torvo explained, seriousness in his words.

He saw pure fear manifest on her face.

“I am right here with you. I will not let you lose control.” He comforted, “Tell me what you saw.”

She took a steadying breath and decided to start from the beginning, speaking slowly so as not to begin sobbing again.

“I saw a little girl, she was just a toddler. I was holding her in my arms. She had bright red hair and green eyes like...like Cal, like her father.” Amira’s hand hovered over her stomach, “But that’s...it’s impossible. I don’t want children and I can’t have children...the Empire made sure of that…”

“Okay.” Torvo said quietly, watching more tears spill from her eyes.

“Next thing, she was...d-dead in my arms, a burned hole through her tiny chest.” Amira’s eyes shut, she fought back a sob before continuing.

“I saw...hundreds of different people, different races. They were all running and hiding and I could feel their worry and anxiety and...betrayal.”

“Jedi on the run?” Torvo whispered.

“Yes...most of them didn’t make it. I saw them bleed and suffer and die. Killed by the clones they once befriended and fought with.” She swallowed, “There were...there were younglings at the temple on Coruscant…”

Her hands balled into fists but she ignored the stinging pain, instead drawing anger from it.

“They were...murdered by a hooded figure with a blue lightsaber. Betrayed by the very people they were taught to trust!”

Torvo felt her anger rising and silently undid her fists, willing the force to create a calming aura around them.

Amira took a few deep breaths, knowing how close she was to the darkness again. She could already feel it taking the edge off of the pain...But she also felt the comfort of Torvo’s energy surrounding her.

“Then I saw myself.” She continued. “I wore my Inquisitor robes again and my eyes had turned yellow. And then I...I hunted the rest of them. I was so powerful…” Amira closed her eyes, remembering how invincible she had felt.

“Who did you hunt?” Torvo asked, watching her face change slightly.

“You. Cere. Master Nena. I got my revenge against Lord Vader.”

Her voice had gone cold.

“And you enjoyed it?” He asked, watching surprise flicker in her eyes.

“I did. But I-I wasn’t...Amira...anymore. That wasn’t me...”

She shook her head, fighting against the darkness rooting itself in her mind.

“Then Cal was there.” Silent tears left her eyes again. “And I tried to turn him, I asked him to stay with me forever and rule the galaxy together.”

“What did he say?”

“He said no...and I got so angry...Something inside me snapped and...I k-killed him…The look on his face…” Amira fell apart, pulling at her hair as she curled in on herself.

“Stop, stop, shhhh…” Torvo soothed, holding her hands in his and kneeling on the floor in front of her. “What you saw, Amira, look at me...” He waited til her eyes met his.

“What you saw was not your future.” He was stern. “It is a possible future, yes. But it is not set in stone. Nothing about the future is sure.”

The anguish in her eyes broke his heart.

“Do not try to suppress these visions. Do not fear them.” He continued. “Learn from them. What can you do now to stop these from coming to fruition? How can you change your mindset and your focus to avoid becoming engulfed by the darkness again?”

“But why does it hurt so much, Torvo?” Amira whimpered, her breathing shallow. She understood his words but was still overwhelmed with pain.

“It hurts you so much because you know who you are. You know how you never wanted to be consumed by the darkness in the first place. You know how much you love your family and Cal, and you know you would never wish them harm.”

Torvo’s hands found the sides of her face, “You don’t want to be an Inquisitor again, you don’t want to watch the people you love die. And that is proof that what you saw is not the future.”

_He is right. I have to fight this._

Amira clamped her eyes shut and uprooted the darkness in her mind, casting it out and allowing the light flowing from Torvo to replace it.

“How do I get through this, Master?” She whispered.

Torvo smiled with surprise, happily stepping into his old shoes to guide her through this, to help her heal.

“First, rest.” 

“How the hell am I supposed to sleep?” Amira asked him incredulously, a flicker of her old self returning.

“Do you trust me?” Torvo asked quietly, making sure her eyes met his. After a moment she silently nodded. 

“Like this.” He placed two fingers on her forehead, willing her mind into a deep, dreamless sleep. Her body immediately slumped in the chair and he covered her with a blanket. He knew it was the only way she would rest without continuing to be plagued by the visions.

Torvo didn’t sleep that night though, instead he recorded her experience and tried to figure out what had caused the corruption at the temple.

He had his work cut out for him, but the fact that Amira had found such solace within him, enough to call him ‘Master’, had renewed his purpose. 

He wouldn’t let her down, and he had a feeling she would continue to surprise him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I think this is one of my favorite chapters, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


	24. Making a Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amid her worries and concerns, Amira and Cal finally have a proper conversation while separated.

Amira sat curled up in her normal spot staring at the dancing flames in the fireplace.

She had surprisingly slept like a baby after her visions at the temple, whatever Torvo had done to put her to sleep had helped immensely. Though she’d been having a hard time with things since she woke up. A massive headache had begun with no sign of relief and every time she closed her eyes she saw Cal’s lifeless body in her arms.

Her first attempt at meditation did not go well, thankfully she had Torvo there to reassure her that it would take time.

Time spent away from Cal. 

It had already been over a week, and she was aching to see him. Not to mention, his presence would probably make this whole situation a lot easier to handle.

_But I’ll be stronger to get through this without him._

“Your thoughts wander far from here, don’t they?” Torvo interrupted, handing her a cup of tea and sitting in his own chair across from her.

Amira nodded. “I know this shit would be a whole lot easier to deal with if Cal was here. Then I remember that I...I need to do this on my own.”

“And you should.” Torvo agreed. “You are already a very strong woman, fighting through this will help your own confidence and strengthen your will even more. But may I remind you, you’re not on your own.” He said pointedly.

“I know.” She stayed silent for a moment, “Thank you for coming inside that temple with me.”

He smiled gently at her and nodded. “Here.” 

Amira caught a small holo-trasmitter in her hands.

“Go, confide in him. It will ease some of your pain.” Torvo encouraged, his smile growing at the glimpse of happiness appearing in her eyes. 

She jumped up and went outside, the cool air and sunlight was refreshing. As she sat on the steps she activated the transmitter beacon and entered BD-1’s communications ID.

It took a moment for the signal to connect and she felt her stomach drop, would Cal be upset with her? Would he sense what happened?

A fuzzy blue image began to appear, “BD? Cal? Can you hear me?”

“‘Mira!” Cal’s static filled voice came through, “Wait. Let me---”

It was a moment until the hologram stabilized and she could finally see him.

“‘Mira?!”

Amira smiled for the first time.

“Cal. Hi.”

“Are you alright? I’ve had this really bad feeling since yesterday...” His hologram sat down and blades of grass appeared around him, he sounded worried.

“Well…” Amira began, “Not really.”

“What happened? Do I need to come help you? Are you hurt?” The Jedi sounded frantic, she could see the lines in his forehead. 

“I’m not hurt, no. Yesterday I...I found an ancient Jedi temple. It was really similar to the one on Bogano. Except...I’m sure that whatever positivity and enlightenment the temple once held is now corrupted by...I don’t even know...something bad.”

Cal was listening intently.

Amira’s voice faltered, “I saw...really terrible things. And. It kind of destroyed most of the progress I’ve made since escaping the inquisition...” She ran her hands down her face and swallowed back tears.

He was silent for a moment, the seriousness of her words sinking in. “Are you alone? You shouldn’t be alone, I can be there by the end of the day--”

“No. I’m not alone.” She interrupted, “I met an old Jedi Master. He recognized me in the market, apparently the last time he saw me was on Coruscant, right before the purge.”

“Do you trust him?” Cal questioned.

“I do.” Amira nodded, “He’s going to help me fight through this.”

“I can help you too, ‘Mira,” Cal reminded softly, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

She smiled again, “I know you can. Trust me, Cal. I want _nothing_ more than to have you here with me. But...I also feel like I’ve been relying on you _too much_. You’ve been by my side since you rescued me and every breakthrough I’ve had has been with you. It wouldn’t be fair to put this all on you... _again_. I gotta do this one on my own…”

Cal ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled, “I understand. I’m proud that you want to figure this one out without me, and I have no doubts that you will, but…I...”, he struggled to find the words as his eyes scanned her.

“I miss you too.” Amira breathed, “My feelings for you haven’t changed, and I will come back home. I just...I can’t return to you as broken as I am now. I have to do this.”

His smile was soft and sad and she felt his presence in the force around her. Even halfway across the galaxy, it briefly felt like she was wrapped in his arms. 

“Then, make sure you keep me updated with your progress and...come back to me, whenever you’re ready.”

“I will. I love you.”

Cal grinned in the hologram, “I love you too.”

Happy tears rolled down Amira’s face as he ended the connection. She held the small transmitter to her chest, reveling in the lingering feeling of Cal’s presence still surrounding her, his words echoing in her head. 

A shaky laugh left her lips, “He loves me…”

_I can do this. I can fight. I will become stronger. For myself, for Cal, for Torvo…_

Amira wiped her face and took a determined breath, standing and turning to return inside. She was ready to do whatever it took to face these visions and learn from them.

_This will not defeat me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi :) I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while, some things happened in my personal life as well as the whole quarantine thing, thank you for coming back to the story, I'm really happy you're here. I have a few chapters written up that just need posted and a few more left to write. Please bear with me until the end ya'll. <3 Thank you for reading, I hope it brings you a smile. :)


	25. A Dream of Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira is surprised and confused by the things hiding in her subconscious.

**The Inquisitor sat at her vanity, quietly braiding her long hair as troopers passed by her closed door.**

**Her re-emergence to the dark side had been easy, she had grown even more powerful than before, and the best part was that now she wasn't alone.**

**Amira turned to look at her bed, watching Cal put on his boots as he finished preparing for the day. His black Inquisitor garb was framed nicely with a red stripe down the legs and arms and white markings on his pauldrons and gloves.**

**She gently bit her lip at how well the dark, sleek edges suited him.**

**She stood and walked to stand in between his legs, pushing his hair back out of his face as he lifted his head to look at her, his green eyes tinged with a hint of yellow.**

**His hands found her waist and squeezed as she spoke to him, “Have I told you how handsome you look in your new armor?”**

**“You have.” He smirked. “Multiple times.” Cal slowly stood, trailing his fingers up her bare tattooed arms.**

**Now Amira looked up at him, her cheeks flushed, “Who shall we hunt today, my love?” She breathed, her lips inches from his.**

**“Whoever you want.” Cal replied before lifting her chin with his finger and kissing her. He took her breath away as he pulled her against him, deepening the kiss. He gently bit her lip before pulling away, “I will follow you wherever you go, ‘Mira.”**

Amira woke with a gasp, sitting up quickly and scanning the small bedroom.

No one else in here but her, thankfully. 

_What the fuck...?!_

She pushed her messy bangs out of her face, rubbing her eyes. Of all the things lurking in her subconscious, she never expected…. _that._

Though, it was better than re-living the tortuous visions on a nightly basis like she had been doing. 

Yet, it was still strange. Of course she didn’t want to become an Inquisitor again and never wanted Cal to have to become one either. 

But.... _the intimacy_. She’d never really thought about it that much, she never had the chance too.

Until now, apparently. 

_This is so fucking confusing…_

The past six years of her life had consisted of her being alone, but the dream had felt so real. It was like Cal had been right there, she could still feel the traces of his fingers on her skin...

Amira groaned, pulling her legs to her chest and hiding her face, fighting a bashful smile from landing on her lips. She quickly scolded herself, she couldn’t indulge in such visions.

She knew that Cal shared feelings, and figured at some point they might...share more intimate moments..they didn’t have to turn to the dark side to do that.

_So why did I see us as Inquisitors?_

The thought of asking Torvo appeared and was instantly shot down. Her Master didn’t need to know of romantic dreams she was having. 

It was simple. The dark side had always been known for its seduction.

Amira knew better, and would prefer to kiss Cal when he _is_ Cal, not when he’s consumed by the darkness.

She took a deep breath and threw her legs over the side of the bed, undoing the braid her hair was in, the dream replaying in her head.

“Arrrgh!” She groaned, standing quickly and grabbing a fresh set of clothes.

Time for a cold shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this was a fun one. I remember seeing a *stunning* picture someone had taken of Inquisitor!Cal on their play through of Fallen Order and this immediately came to mind. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for reading! <3


	26. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira takes a step in the right direction of healing and discovers something about her past.

Amira and Torvo were strolling around town, restocking supplies and enjoying the fresh air. It reminded her of when she first landed here a few weeks ago, she glances at the tattoo peeking from behind her half sleeve. 

Something about the force that surrounded the city still felt incredibly familiar…

“What is this place Torvo?” Amira asked curiously, “Ever since I landed, I’ve felt…connected to this planet. But I still don’t understand why.”

“This is your home, ‘Mira.” He said simply, smiling. “And mine.”

“Oh.” She responded, unsure of how she should feel.

Amira followed Torvo into a large grassy area the children in town used as a park, “I want you to really attune yourself to the energy here. Maybe try a quick meditation. See what more you can learn.” Torvo suggested, his blue eyes were full of understanding. 

Amira was apprehensive, every meditation for the past week since her temple visit had resulted in her almost losing control again, accompanied by either tears or foul moods.

Torvo knew this and had a plan ready. “Let me guide you through your reflection today, instead of you being alone.” He informed her as they found an empty corner of the park to relax in.

“What, like meditate together?”

“Not quite. I will tell you what to focus on as you meditate. Hopefully steer you in the right direction.”

“Alright.” Amira nodded as she sat cross legged in the thin grass. She closed her eyes and waited for instruction. 

“Reach out. What do you feel?” Torvo asked, his voice quieting so as not to disturb her.

Her fingertips found the ground, “Something familiar but sad. Lost.”

“Who’s lost?”

“Lots of different people...children. Orphaned?”

_Hmm..._

The vision of her own baby lifeless in her arms appeared and she had to shake her head to clear it.

“What’s familiar?” Torvo continued.

“I don’t know…” Amira huffed. “It feels sentimental. But...forever out of reach.”

“I know what you sense and I will tell you about it later, but I want you to try something first. Listen closely.” Torvo began, sensing her anxiety. “I want you to find the light and dark inside you. See them both inside your mind.”

“Okay…”

“Feel the weight of the light in your right hand, feel the weight of the dark in your left. Hold onto both of them until one hand is not harder to hold than the other.”

She reached inwards, gathering all the things that radiated light and peace, and held them in her metaphorical right hand. 

The darkness was much more difficult to wrangle.

“How do I control the darkness when all the time I used it I was just under its control? It’s terrifying even just thinking of facing it...” Amira asked after struggling for a moment. 

“You _must_ find a way to let go of that fear. It will only hold you back.” Torvo insisted, “You are strong willed, you can control it. Just don’t think about it too much. Don’t focus on what brings the darkness, focus on what the darkness makes you feel, but don’t let it overwhelm you.”

Amira opened her hands, palms up, trying to better get a sense for what she was trying to do, it worked for a moment.

She could feel the power of the light side, she had become very attuned to it since her escape, it was easy for her to draw from.

The darkness was loud in her mind when she focused on it. It did it’s best to drown out everything else, her forehead scrunched together when she attempted to bend it to her will. 

_How do I control it without it taking a hold of me?_

It was like holding two ropes, one was relaxed and unmoving. The other was doing it’s best to yank her in another direction.

“I think I have it...but the dark side is screaming at me.” Amira gritted through her teeth, doing her best to hold her mind in place.

“Trust me, that never stops. It’s the most difficult thing you will face, but we, as Jedi, face the darkness everyday. You’re not alone.” Torvo assured. “Open your eyes.”

She gladly exited her focused state, meeting her Master's kind face.

“This is the exercise I want you to perfect. When you can hold both light and dark in your hands, you achieve perfect balance. It will not be easy, but you have achieved greater things already. I don’t doubt you.”

“I remember it being so effortless the first time around…” Amira wondered, remembering her first meditations at the base on Bogano.

“I believe you weren’t doing it properly then. You were merely drowning out the darkness with the light, not acknowledging its presence.”

“Oh.”

“That’s why it’s so difficult now, because you never truly gained control.”

Amira frowned, “So I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time? Fuck.”

Torvo laughed, “Don’t worry, you would not have known about this and Cal is still young and has never encountered the dark side like you have. He would not have been able to assist in this type of meditation without exposing himself to the darkness you faced.”

“I don’t want him to have to experience it.” Amira pressed.

“I understand, and now he won’t have too. You are aware of it and can practice properly on your own.”

“Thank you, Master.” She smiled.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Torvo returned his own wide grin.

Amira looked around the park, noticing a large group of children, all varying ages, playing and lounging around. 

They wore plain clothes and she didn’t see a single parent anywhere. A few of them suddenly ran back towards a large two story building on the outside of the park.

An orphanage.

Something in her mind finally clicked.

“I...I had been quietly wondering if I had had parents here...but...I think I know now.” Amira spoke quietly, almost disappointed, but not surprised.

Torvo followed her gaze across the grass, placing a hand gently on her back. “You did have parents here, ‘Mira. But unfortunately you did not know them...and they did not know you.” He watched her in silence for a minute as she stared at the worn down building. “This is what I wanted to speak about with you. How do you feel about this, padawan?”

“I’m...I’m not upset. I guess I may be a _little_ disappointed, but...it’s not exactly life altering news.” Amira met his eyes with a small smile. 

“You were very young when you left this planet, as was I. Like you explained earlier, it feels sentimental, but out of reach.” Torvo agreed. “Do you want to go and see?”

“No.” Amira was confident as she glanced back at the orphanage, “I know there’s nothing for me there.”

“Alright.” He nodded, and they both stood, continuing their afternoon of errands. They grabbed lunch at a street vendor and ate as they walked.

“I have some more questions.” Amira began, taking a sip of her drink. 

“I have some more answers.” Torvo smiled. 

“Hmm, I guess I should start from the beginning...how did you know this planet was your home? Did you remember from before you joined the order?” She spoke in a quiet voice as they passed a large group of civilians. 

“I did, though I didn’t initially remember much outside of the nebula and the name of the city. But when I first came here in my later Jedi years, the force helped me confirm my suspicions. Since my ‘extended stay’, I’ve become more acquainted with my past.” 

“How did you know it was my home?” Amira asked, meeting his eyes. They passed a busy shopkeeper before he quietly answered.

“Remember when I first recognized you, I said I recalled your unique eyes?”

“Hm-hm.” She murmured, taking a small bite.

“Well, I remembered you from all the way back to your first week on Coruscant. A scared little girl with fiery red hair, and one blue and one green eye. You were...you were almost assigned to be my padawan.” Torvo concluded with a kind smile. 

“No way!” Amira laughed, but she sensed an odd feeling from him, like he was upset over a lost opportunity, suddenly she was as well. “So you knew what planets the padawans were coming from and I’m guessing we were almost paired up due to our similar home worlds?”

“Exactly.” He nodded once. 

“Whoa…that’s, that’s something.”

They continued walking in silence again, Amira realizing just how much of a coincidence this whole place really was. It was so much so that she was convinced there was no way it could be a coincidence anymore.

“I’m glad I was paired with Nena, but...I’m also glad you weren’t my Master then.” She said firmly after they turned a corner. 

“Why is that?” Torvo asked, sensing her sudden sadness. 

“Because if you had been, you would’ve died nine years ago in the Purge like Master Nena did...and who knows where I would be now.”

“Ahh. You don’t know that for sure.” He comforted her. “Your life would’ve been much different had you been assigned a different Master.”

They walked in silence for a moment.

“Did you know Master Nena?” Amira’s eyes lit up at the question, hoping to learn more about her as she took another bite of her food. 

“Nena Kilii? I did. We weren’t very close but I remember her being a fierce warrior, poised yet powerful, very skilled in the ways of the force. One of the only other Togruta Masters I worked with in the Order. She was a genius when it came to turning a battle in our favor. Her storm troopers were some of the best trained I’d ever seen.”

“I don’t remember much from before the Inquisition, thanks for telling me about her.” Amira smiled, happy to learn more about her old Master. 

“It’s a shame so many good Jedi were lost in the purge, I still wish you hadn’t had to go through what you did. I wish none of the padawans had to go through what they did.” Torvo spoke quietly, his voice somber.

“We’re supposed to move on, right?” Amira smiled, “We learn and grow from the past. Well...we try to at least.” She laughed thinking about her own situation. 

“That we do.” He agreed with a grin.

* * *

“Have you been sleeping, ‘Mira?” Cal’s blue hologram asked, he seemed to be straining to see her face better.

A small smile appeared on Amira’s lips, “Yeah. That...I’m working on it. It’s getting better though. The visions aren’t as...agonizing.”

_Not to mention the...other more...intimate dreams…_

“How are your meditations going?”

“Oh. Better for sure. Having to re-learn how to properly meditate though is a...challenge. Torvo is guiding me, but it’s still kinda rough.”

“That’s good to hear, I’m very proud of your progress ‘Mira.” Cal praised. “I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.” He continued in a gentler voice.

Amira glanced over to Torvo sitting on the other side of the room, a smile appeared on his face after he heard the Jedi speak.

“I am too, Cal. Hopefully it’ll be sooner than you think.” She replied, ignoring her Master. It had been a month since she’d seen Cal, and thankfully she was planning on returning to him soon.

“Remember, persistence reveals the path. I’ll be waiting for you. Love you.” Cal grinned.

“Love you.” Amira breathed, still not used to those words, but more than happy to hear them. Moments later, his hologram disappeared. 

She slipped the holo-comm device into one of her pockets, a giddy smile on her face. When she looked up and met Torvo’s eyes her cheeks grew redder.

“What?!” She asked defensively, standing to grab a book and sit across from him.

“Nothing!” He laughed, “You just reminded me of my past for a moment.”

His blue eyes looked lost in memory.

“Were you in love?” Amira asked, suddenly very interested. “Oh! Will you tell me about them?”

Torvo’s surprised look made her backtrack, “Only...if you feel like sharing…”

He thought for a moment then closed his book. “Her name was Rhea. And yes...we were in love.”

“Where did you meet her?” Amira asked quietly.

“She was a Jedi. I met her when she visited the temple I was stationed at. I guided her through the collective archives for hours…” His voice trailed off as he lived through it again.

“We kept our relationship a secret, as it was forbidden anyway. That was my...first real struggle with the Jedi order.”

Amira felt his force energy grow more saddened, and she suddenly felt bad for asking him about it. 

“She fell during the Purge.” It was quiet for a moment. Their eyes met and Torvo slightly smiled, “I still have her with me though.”

He glanced at his lightsaber resting on the table and Amira followed his gaze. “The switches were once hers and her blade was green, like mine is now.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Master.” Amira whispered.

“They never truly leave us, ‘Mira.” Torvo spoke.

She remembered her experience on Ilum and wholly understood his words, smiling, “They sure don’t.”

“Her death is still something that pains me, but it’s nice to talk about and remember her.” He smiled.

“You have a wonderful way of honoring her, Torvo. She fights by your side every time you activate your lightsaber. That’s...very sweet.” Amira grinned. She enjoyed these moments with her Master, moments that brought them closer. 

In the month since she’d met him, Torvo had become a wonderful mentor and...like a father to her. 

“Thank you, Amira.” He nodded.

She decided to give him some space and stood to go outside, “I’m going to go meditate.”

“Remember to let go of your fear, don’t let it hold you back.” His smile was kind as she turned back to him.

“Yes, Master.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and kudos and comments! <3 It means a bunch to me.
> 
> Unfortunately the end of this story is in sight, I hope you'll stick around for a few more. :)


	27. Cal Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written from Cal's perspective! He finally speaks with Cere about his feelings for Amira.

Cal had done nothing but pace.

He knew Amira was safe, but the fact that something so terrible had happened that she hadn't been able to return home still bothered him.

It frustrated him that he was so bothered by it.

He wanted to be there with her and help guide her through it. Not to mention he also felt somewhat ashamed, knowing she had to learn how to meditate again, he had let her down as a teacher...

Sitting in the fields of Bogano, he ripped up small bits of grass, staring at nothing. Hoping the breeze that drifted by would bring him some clarity. 

No luck.

“You know, you’ve been acting like you did when you first met her.” Cere began, walking up the grassy ramp from the underground base. 

“How is that?” Cal asked, not looking at her, he was ashamed of his recent behavior.

“Out of it. Completely lost. Only focused on her. You’re worried sick.”

Cal sighed and ran his hand through his hair as Cere sat next to him.

“And that’s okay, Cal.” She finished her sentence, surprising him.

She smiled, “Except this time around,” Their eyes met, “You’re completely smitten.”

Cal laughed loudly. He had already confessed to Amira himself but hadn't really spoken with anyone else about it, he wasn’t expecting the call out.

“...Yeah…” He began, deciding to finally talk about it. “I was so overwhelmed with her for so long I wasn’t sure if I was feeling _her_ emotions, or if they were actually mine. Now, after some time away from her, I know...”

Cere nodded, understanding, “With your phsychometry Cal, you are extra attuned to all feelings, even ones that simply float by you in the wind. It can be hard for Jedi _without_ your gift to distinguish their own thoughts and emotions from the ones around them.

“The fact that you handled training Amira and helped her grow beyond her past, all without losing yourself, is...impressive.” Cere was very proud of him. 

“She helped me grow in turn.” He agreed quietly, remembering how weak and broken she was when he rescued her all those nights ago. She had grown so much. 

“Is it okay for me to be closer with her? Should I allow myself to have feelings for her?” He genuinely asked Cere, cheeks darkening. He hoped she could help him clarify things.

“Yeah, I think it’s okay. Important even.” Cere smiled. “The Order taught us to leave attachments behind, but the better we learn to control our emotions, the better off we are in the long run. Of course it’s a little different with you and ‘Mira. You were attracted like magnets since the beginning, not even romantically. And you, well you saved her from a lifetime of torture and pain.”

“I did it without thinking, even then. She suddenly became so important to me, I wanted to save her. She…she deserved peace.” Cal added quietly, letting his true feelings flow.

“You love her, Cal.” Cere assured. “I think you’ve loved her longer than you realize. And there's _nothing_ wrong with that.” 

She shrugged, “Hell. The order is gone now. I have the utmost faith in you two. You work perfectly together, you accentuate each other's strengths and improve on each other’s weaknesses. Amira has grown into a beautiful and powerful woman who wants nothing more than to protect you and her family. You deserve peace too, Cal.” 

Cere took his hand and squeezed it, “I’d be more surprised if you didn’t fall for her.”

Cal laughed quietly, trying to hide the burning on his cheeks. “So, I’m not acting rashly or impulsively?”

“No, you aren’t.” Cere smiled. “Don’t hide from your emotions or try to suppress them, that’s what leads to chaos within yourself. Learn from them.”

Suddenly he realized that was all he needed, Cere’s approval.

_But then…_

“Why hasn’t she come home yet? She could've recovered here...” He spoke quietly.

“She has already told you why, Cal. I’m positive the distance between you two pains her just as much as it pains you.”

“Yeah...I know...but...I’m still confused with the nebula I saw...” Cal scratched his neck.

“...Doesn’t ‘Mira have a nebula tattoo on her arm? It could be the same as the one you saw.”

The Jedi’s eyes widened. “She does!...Then she must've stumbled upon it when she escaped…”

Cere stood, smiling. “She will be back soon. Patience.”

Cal was left with his thoughts, pondering the connection between her and the nebula. Wondering just how terrible the visions she spoke of were. 

Though he now felt comfortable with his feelings for her, an anxiety settled in his gut. 

He was confident in her ability to overcome this challenge, she was persistent and unforgiving. There was no way she would let a few visions tear her down for long. But he was worried about just how long it had already been. 

Above all, Cal missed her.

A sudden movement in the force had him looking around the landscape.

“Hey Cal, we’re getting a transmission from someone you wanna meet.” Cere’s amused voice came from his comms device.

Cere would’ve said if it was Amira calling...so if it wasn’t her, who was it? 

He didn’t waste time returning to base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 Only a few more chapters left for this story, unfortunately. :'( If I get any other ideas for these two I will definitely write them though! Stay tuned :D


	28. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and Cal finally reunite!!

It had been a month and a few days since she had landed here and met Torvo, so much had happened and changed.

Amira wasn’t exactly happy with what she had faced and how she handled it, but she wasn’t regretful either. 

Meditations that were once so simple were now challenging, but in the end she was beginning to regain total control. 

She was planning on leaving within the next few days...but she was stalling.

Torvo had trained her in so many different areas. Not just proper meditation but also in refining her combat technique and using the force around her to further read environments and emotions within them. 

The two had grown quite close. Amira found a mentor and father figure in him, it was making her attempts at leaving difficult. 

She was torn.

“I’m sensing unease from you, ‘Mira.” Torvo interrupted her thoughts. 

“Huh?” Her head snapped up and she met his eyes. She’d had a book open in her lap but hadn’t actually been reading. 

“What’s on your mind?” He asked.

She hesitated. “When will I know I’m ready to...leave?” Amira asked quietly.

“You won’t, padawan. You will just have to take a chance.” Torvo smiled kindly.

“You’ve become very important to me, Torvo...I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” She confessed, “I enjoy being here and really don’t want to leave...but…” Her voice trailed off.

“You miss Cal and your crew. I understand ‘Mira, and I hold none of that against you. You’ve become very important to me as well, but I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, you can always come visit.” He laughed, watching her face.

“Of course! You can’t get rid of me that quickly.” Amira smiled.

“I haven’t met this _boyfriend_ of yours yet either, that’ll have to happen sooner rather than later.” Torvo teased, returning to his reading.

Amira giggled quietly, cheeks going red. “I guess he is kind of my boyfriend now, huh? That’s funny.”

She quickly closed her book and stood, pulling her lightsaber to her hand from the nearby table, “I’m going to go practice.”

Torvo hummed as she entered the secret door and descended the steps. 

An hour passed quietly, the sounds of her humming lightsaber and labored breath breaking the silence as she trained. 

Something felt...off, but she persevered. 

When she was mostly happy with her progress, she left the basement and headed outside to practice her meditations. 

The funny feeling from earlier grew as she stepped outside. Continuing to bother her when she tried to focus, like something was now poking at her brain. An anxious feeling settled in her stomach, but it had an excited edge to it, it confused her. 

These weren’t her feelings. 

Suddenly a familiar pull in the force has her head snap towards town.

_Wait…_

Amira quickly made her way inside, all notions of meditation quickly disappearing.

“What’s wrong?” Torvo asked, watching her glance around the room curiously.

The feeling was growing stronger...there was only one person with that recognizable presence in the force.

_How did..._

She looked at her Master for a moment, seeing a smug look creep onto his face, “What did you do?” Amira asked him quietly, a smile pulling at her lips.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about…” Torvo replied, returning to his book with a smirk.

The feeling of excitement grew and she dashed for the front door, swinging it open with ease, and bouncing down the steps.

The breeze moved her long hair as she took a few steps forward, her eyes looked for something, anything, further down the hill.

Before she could move much farther a familiar flash of red-orange hair caught her eye.

It was Cal. He was here. On the same planet as her. She watched in stunned surprise as his eyes looked for her. He was wearing that familiar dark poncho and BD-1 sat on his back like always. 

It had only been a month, but for some reason it suddenly felt like it’d been years since she saw him.

It was a moment before his eyes found her ahead of him and he stopped, a grin immediately landing on his face. BD-1 hopped down and began running at her as her own smile grew.

Amira’s body began moving without her thinking, pushing her towards Cal. A few seconds later she ran into his arms that quickly wrapped around her. She closed her eyes, running her fingers through his hair and breathing in his smell. The small droid beeped happily as he nuzzled her head from his spot on her back.

Cal laughed quietly as he spun her in a circle once before placing her on the ground, though neither of them broke the embrace, silently enjoying it for a few moments. 

She pulled back to look at him, taking in every inch of his face as she ran her thumb through his neatly trimmed beard. Those green eyes, the soft scars across his cheek and nose, and more freckles than she remembered. His smile filled her with warmth, she’d been plagued by his lifeless or anguished face in her dreams. To finally have him in her arms and see his real, genuine grin was... _exactly_ what she needed.

“Hi.” She breathed, noticing a lump in her throat. 

“Hey.” Cal replied, grin turning to a smirk. “It’s been a while.”

Amira giggled quietly, “It has.”

Cal laughed as he lifted her chin with his finger and thumb and hesitantly brushed his lips against hers.

He pulled back and their eyes met for a brief moment before his hands easily found the sides of her face and hers wove into his hair again, their lips meeting again with much more confidence.

They were both out of breath when they parted again.

“How did you find me?” Amira asked, her forehead resting against his for a second.

“Some Jedi named Torvo Vanas gave me the coordinates.” He grinned.

“Of course he did.” Amira laughed, “Would you like to meet him?”

“Yes, but...” Cal smirked as his hands found the small of her back, pulling her even closer to him. He whispered before pulling her face back to his, “In a minute…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our story is coming to a close! I apologize for the gaps between uploads, lots of life stuff happening. But I've only got some editing left to do to finish the story. Thank for you reading!! <3 :D


	29. Worthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Torvo finally meet! Amira struggles with herself and whether or not she's ready to return home.

Amira shouldn’t have been worried about Torvo meeting Cal, everyone who met him instantly loved him, Torvo included.

She sat on the arm of the chair Cal was sitting in as the two men spoke of their adventures. BD-1 had wandered around the room for a while but was currently resting on her back.

Torvo finally had the chance to speak with Cal about his psycometry, and Cal had the opportunity to learn some teaching techniques.

Amira sat quietly, admiring Cal. She hadn’t stopped smiling since he arrived, and seeing the two most important people in her life get along so well filled her with joy. 

“Well, I’m not sure…” Torvo said a bit louder, pulling her from her thoughts, “‘Mira hasn’t spoken much about the coincidences of her arrival here.”

Both of them looked at her, and she glanced down at her arm, pulling up the sleeve to expose the pink and orange tattoo on her forearm.

“I’m...I’m not sure how it happened. I had these tattoos done _years ago_. Mostly just to portray my love for the stars, but I’ve had this nebula in my memory since before the Inquisition. I wasn’t even sure if it was a real place until it appeared in front of my eyes. When I was told that I had a past here...it all kind of made sense.”

Amira looked at her master and smiled, “The fact that I stumbled across this planet by accident just proves that the force really did lead me here. It’s like I was destined to meet you Torvo.”

“That it does seem, padawan.” Torvo returned her smile and she could sense his happiness.

But something was bothering her. 

_Padawan…still just a padawan...I feel even weaker than before..._

“What’s wrong ‘Mira?” Cal asked, sensing her uncertainty, BD-1 beeped quietly with concern. She stood and faced the large hearth, messing with a lock of her hair.

“I know you called Cal here to come get me...but...am I ready to leave yet? Are you sure?” Amira met Torvo’s calm blue eyes. “I met you as a lost padawan, and I feel like I'm leaving as that, just a bit more broken than before.”

Torvo stood and took both of her hands in his.

“I would not have reached out to Cal if I did not think you were ready, ‘Mira.” He smiled.

Cal stood and moved BD to sit on his back as he spoke, “You’ve made incredible progress here ‘Mira. Me and Torvo have already spoken about it. You’re ready, you gotta have more patience with yourself.”

His praise and accompanying smile had her blushing.

“But, I want to make something clear...” Torvo continued, smiling, “You’re not leaving me as a padawan, ‘Mira. You’re leaving as a Jedi.”

Her master unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and activated it, bathing the area in green. “Kneel.”

Amira was shocked, gratitude filled her and she had to fight back tears as she knelt on one knee in front of him.

Torvo spoke proudly, knighting her with his saber as he spoke. “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Amira Moross, Rise Jedi Knight.”

Their eyes met and he laughed as he wiped away one of her tears that had spilled over. “You are not leaving as the same padawan or woman I met a month ago. You have grown so much, I’m so very proud of you, ‘Mira.”

Amira quickly hugged him, fighting back the sob in her throat as she hid her face in his robes. His chest vibrated with more laughter as he returned the hug, holding her for a moment. 

“Yes, you will continue to face challenges, but you will learn how to overcome them along the way.” Torvo began before pulling back and smiling at her as she wiped her face, “Even with as much experience as I've had, I still learned many new things with you. We always continue to learn.”

Amira took a step back, Cal’s hand found hers and he placed a light kiss to her hair as she regained her composure. 

Torvo continued, “I know you will find your perfect balance, Amira. Cal knows it, Cere knows it. Hell, even your kyber crystal knows it. You are strong, don’t you forget it.”

Amira smiled and nodded, “Yes, Master.”

The pair retreated upstairs and Cal helped her pack up her things while she tried to sift through her emotions.

Never had she thought she would actually become a Jedi one day. Ever since the purge and Inquisition Amira thought she was too broken or lost to earn the title, ‘Knight’. But knowing there were people who felt she deserved it…that meant everything to her.

“I brought you something.” Cal spoke, grabbing her attention. “I’m not sure if it’s the best gift...but...I thought you might want it. Let me know if I’m wrong, okay?” 

His smile was unsure as he opened his hand to her. 

It took her a moment to realize what he held. 

“My old kyber crystal…” She held it up, almost no light passed through it.

“I know it signifies terrible times for you, but, to me it shows how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown.”

“You’re right. On both fronts.” She responded slowly. “It’s painful to remember my past...but it’s necessary. Like Torvo said, we learn from our past experiences.” 

Amira looked up at Cal for a moment, his green eyes were so gentle, “I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few weeks avoiding as many negative emotions as possible. Then immediately scolding myself, because...I have to _face_ those emotions. I went so far as to make a damn list of all the things I have to do to make sure I never become an Inquisitor again.” 

She stared at the gem in silence for a moment. “The darkness is something we will face everyday as Jedi. But, just looking at this thing really helps. It proves I’ve beat it before, so I can beat it again. Thank you, Cal. I will keep it.”

Amira quietly tucked the gem into one of her small pockets as Cal nodded, after a moment he spoke, “Will you tell me about the visions you experienced?”

“I will.” She nodded. “I finally have you here to comfort me, you’re damn right I’m gonna use that to my advantage.” The two shared bashful smiles. “But. You deserve to know what happened, and...I want you to know.” She finished in a serious tone.

Amira worked on packing the last of her things as Cal sat on the bed in silence, watching her move around the room. After a moment he stood and took both of her hands, “I promise that you won’t become an Inquisitor again. I won’t let that happen to you. I won’t let the darkness take you again.”

“And I won’t let it happen to you either, Cal.” She silently remembered the visions she’d had and the nightmares that followed. She would rather die than see the man she loved be tortured and turned to the dark side. 

Cal’s hand brushed against her cheek as he admired her face, “I love you.”

Amira blushed, tears threatening her again, “I love you too.”

He kissed her softly, and she could feel every ounce of emotion that those three simple words held.

They parted after a moment, resting their foreheads together.

“Everything packed?” Cal asks, pulling away but still keeping one of her hands in his.

“Yeah.” She breathes.

Suddenly, she realizes leaving this place will hurt more than she anticipated, a lump forms in her throat as she crosses the threshold of the bedroom door. 

They make their way downstairs and she scans the large living area, taking a mental picture of the cozy room. Her chair across from Torvo’s still held the last book she was reading. Cal stood next to her, waiting patiently. 

After a moment, Amira sighs and clears her throat, but she still hesitates to open the door to the porch outside where Torvo was waiting.

“We’ll be back ‘Mira. I promise.” Cal whispers to her, squeezing her hand.

She nods once and steps outside.

Amira joins Torvo down the steps where he was gazing at the nebula above. “No need to be sad, little one.” Torvo smiles, sensing her emotions. He places an arm around her as she leans on him for a moment. “I’m not going anywhere. I expect you’ll come visit. Both of you.”

“Yes sir.” Cal agrees as he shakes his hand.

“We will.” Amira smiles, pulling him in for another hug and swallowing back tears.

Torvo placed a light kiss to her head before pulling away, “May the Force be with you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 The next chapter is the last one :') Thank you for coming on this journey with me. :D


	30. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Amira return home, but soon decide to set out on a journey all their own.

“Are you sure, Cal? I don’t know what you’ll see or feel when I give this to you…” Amira spoke nervously, clutching her lightsaber to her chest. 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Cal calmly responded, “It can’t be worse than the first time I held your old saber.” His smile was reassuring.

She looked down at the weapon and gently set it in his palm, waiting for a negative reaction, but he hardly winced. Though his head and shoulders slumped.

When she met his green eyes they were full of sadness, he silently wrapped his arms around her on the small couch on the Mantis.

Amira returned the hug, unsure of what he just experienced. When he didn’t let go of her she settled into the embrace.

“What was it?” She breathed into his shoulder.

“I saw you in the temple...But I don’t think I felt your pain.” Cal replied.

She pulled back, remembering how it happened that day.

“That’s right! I gave my saber to Torvo to hold before I touched the mirror. As a ‘just in case’ y’know? Wait...so you felt his emotions?”

“I think so…” Cal took her hand and wrapped it in both of his. “I saw you go rigid and collapse. I saw the cuts on your hand and...how you broke down…” He paused, taking a breath. “Torvo was so scared at that moment, he wasn’t sure what you had seen. But then he became sad. It physically hurt him to see you in agony like that…”

“He never told me that…” Amira murmured.

Cal continued, but she could sense sudden anger through his words, channeling the memory “When he carried you out of the temple, rage filled him. He was furious at whatever had left behind such vile corruption.”

Amira looked at Cal who’s eyes seemed distant, like he was seeing something else. “Hey…” She spoke softly, leaning down to catch his attention as she squeezed his hand, he looked at her, pain in his eyes. “I’m okay now, Cal.”

“Did you ever figure out what corrupted the temple?” He asked quietly.

“No. The few days after the incident are all a haze for me. If Torvo found something, he would’ve told me. He said the temple had been corrupted long before I even stepped foot on the planet. It was the darkness though, the who, how, or what doesn’t matter. I survived, and I’m stronger for it.”

“You are.” Cal said proudly, placing a kiss to her forehead. “Will you tell me about the visions?”

“Yes, but not here, not right now.” She looked up into the cockpit from their spot on the couch. They were traveling at lightspeed, Greez was keeping an eye on the navigation. “When we get home.”

“I...I was thinking…” Cal began nervously, his eyes fell to his feet and he scratched his neck. “We could go off on our own for a few days...I could take you wherever...If you wanted.”

Amira laughed, “In the Mantis? Greez would rather throw himself in the depths of Bogano than let us take his ship.”

The Jedi smiled. “We bought another ship while you were gone. It’s smaller, made more for deep space travel and quick trips.” Cal motioned to the Captain, “He’s been showing me the ropes on co-piloting. And since you can pretty much fly anything...I figured it might be nice for us to go explore on our own.”

His cheeks were bright red and she had to hold back laughter, though she could feel her own blush.

“I’m jealous that I didn’t get to go ship shopping...but...I would love to go explore the universe with you.”

“Yeah?” Cal asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah.” She nodded, she felt like she was glowing.

“Alright you two, Bogano calls.” Greez interrupted, the ship jolted as it exited hyperspace.

Amira stood and joined him in the cockpit, watching the yellow-green planet grow bigger.

“Did you miss me lots, Greezy? How are the feather fern blooms doing?” She grinned, poking fun at the Captain.

“Ahhh, hummfff…” The Lateron groaned, pulling a laugh from her.

He began proudly, but softened, “They bloomed just fine without you and…Well...we all missed you.” 

Amira froze, not expecting such softness from him, but she smiled and went in for a hug.

“I gotta park the ship! Go on...get off…” He grumbled, halting her advance, but she giggled quietly and rejoined Cal as the ship entered Bogano’s atmosphere.

* * *

Amira had only been back home for a few days when Cal and her decided to head out on their own. 

“What will you and Cal do on this little adventure of yours?” Merrin asked with narrow eyes as Amira loaded a few bags onto the new ship.

“Probably find ourselves a planet crawling with Imps. See how many we can decimate.” She giggled to herself. When she turned around and met the night sister's doubtful look she flushed red. “Oh stop it, Merrin!”

The nightsister smirked, but didn’t comment further on it, “Be safe.”

“We will.” Amira smiled before she walked away.

Cal came walking up the grassy ramp to where the ship was parked and butterflies filled her stomach. Something about the smile he gave her, the smile just for her, took her breath away. 

“Ready?” He asked, joining her in the ship, closing the door up behind them.

“I am.” She grinned as they made their way to the cockpit. 

They both sat and began pressing buttons and flipping switches, soon the ship trembled beneath them as the engines came to life. 

“Where to?” Cal asked, eyeing the navigation. “We can go anywhere.”

Amira met his eyes, “Somewhere...cozy. Surprise me.”

He thought for a moment then nodded to himself, typing in a set of coordinates.

They took the ship up into the orbit of Bogan but Amira paused, leaning back in the chair for a moment. 

“What’s up?” Cal asked, turning to face her.

She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

Amira smiled, “I need a moment, I’m still getting used to this whole thing. Us.”

“You waited a while for me, didn’t you?” Cal asked, grinning.

“I did. But it’s okay. I was honestly just happy to have you in my life. Being able to kiss you is just one of the perks I get to enjoy now.” She winked at him, enjoying his coy smile.

“Thank you for waiting for me, love.” He spoke, voice gentle.

“Y-Yeah. Of course.” Amira breathed, flustered by the new nickname.

Cal leaned in to kiss her and she wove her fingers through his hair as he held her face with his hands. When they parted they were breathless. 

“Let’s go.” The Jedi spoke first, running a hand through his, now messy, hair.

“Let’s!” Amira smiled as she pulled the lever, sending the ship into lightspeed.

And so the stars blurred into lines once more.

_In the beginning I was broken and scared. Anger and hatred controlled my darkest days._

_But now I am free._

_In the beginning Cal was insistent and forgiving._

_Now he’s wiser than he was before._

_We stand together now, at what seems like the edge of an endless universe._

_The peace that surrounded him then now extends to me, and we have found solace within each other._

_He is my home._

_We don’t know the challenges that lie ahead. We don’t know what new, or old, enemies we may face._

_But we will continue living and face the unknown. Together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If I ever find more inspiration and want to add to this story I will :), but no guarantees. Don't be afraid to let me know what you thought in the comments or over on Tumblr @ https://sadjediamira.tumblr.com .
> 
> Again, thanks for reading! <3


End file.
